DGCA pushes airlines to add 1,700+ flights across India to curb Diwali airfare spikes

With the festive travel rush approaching, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has stepped in to monitor and manage airfares. Acting on its mandate from the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), the regulator has proactively engaged with airlines to prevent excessive fare surges and meet rising passenger demand. 

The DGCA has directed airlines to increase capacity by deploying additional flights during the high-demand period. In response: 

• IndiGo is adding approximately 730 additional flights across 42 sectors 
• Air India & Air India Express will operate about 486 extra flights across 20 sectors 
• SpiceJet is deploying 546 additional flights across 38 sectors 

The DGCA said it will maintain rigorous oversight of fares and capacities during the festive season to protect passenger interests. 

Past instances of airfare surges  

Here are several notable incidents from recent years: 

• During the Kumbh festival, airfares to Prayagraj reportedly soared from around ₹5,000 to ₹25,000 on certain Delhi–Prayagraj routes, about a fivefold increase. In response, DGCA intervened and approved 81 additional flights to ease pressure.  
• In mid‑2025, the DGCA told a Parliamentary panel it was exploring mechanisms to curb sharp price jumps during periods of high demand, including possibly imposing temporary price ceilings on select routes. The panel cited past surges — such as after the Pahalgam terror attack and during Kumbh — as evidence of overly aggressive pricing. 
• Industry reports indicate that during festival time, airfares on major domestic routes often rise 10-25 % compared to baseline. In the 2025 Diwali period itself, some fares were reported to have surged up to 52 % year-on-year, driven by a weak rupee, constrained aircraft availability, and high demand.  
• Ahead of Dasara and Diwali, airfare spikes of up to 200% were observed on key routes from Hyderabad. For example, fares to Jaipur jumped from ₹7,000 to ₹13,000, and to Delhi from ₹4,500-8,000 to ₹8,000-12,000, according to a report by The Times of India. 
• As Ganesh Chaturthi kicked off the festival season, tickets to Patna saw hikes of up to 50 %, with some routes (e.g. Delhi-Patna) rising from ₹4,000 to ₹12,000, and Mumbai-Patna from ₹6,000 to ₹16,500, as per a report in The Times of India.