Airfare competition brews on Delhi-Dehra Dun route

Giving Kingfisher a run for its money, Air India and Jet Airways Konnect have launched new air services between Delhi and Dehra Dun, offering competitive airfares on this route.

With special focus on the ‘Maha kumbh mela’ at Haridwar, the Uttarakhand government had been striving hard to start Airbus/Boeing services in the hill state, hoping the move may bring down airfares and encourage tourism. But instead of the big planes, the two new airlines are operating small ATR planes. Kingfisher is also operating an ATR 72.

In its inaugural offer, Air India has offered air tickets for as low as Rs 2,129 on the Dehra Dun-Dehi route. However, Air India’s peak airfares on this route vary between Rs 3,000 and Rs 8,000.

But Kingfisher, whose air fares on this route have now touched Rs 9,000, is under considerable pressure to slash them so as to compete with other airlines. However, officials of Kingfisher here refused to comment much on the competitive airfares but claimed that their services were far better than others. “You can feel the difference when you are traveling by Kingfisher,” an official said.

However, in the coming days, the airfares are likely to stabilise between Rs 4,000 and Rs 7,000. And in case, the Airbus services start operation, the airfares on the route may also become cheaper by 50 per cent from the current level.

With the Chardham yatra season all set to begin in May and the ‘maha kumbh mela’ already in progress at Haridwar, the government is trying hard to strengthen air-services in the hill state. The sources said there was a good scope for expansion of air-services from Jollygrant, especially during the summer season when the pilgrimage to Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri shrines, collectively called Chardham yatra, begins. between 1 and 1.5 million pilgrims visit the Chardham pilgrim centers every year. Officials said the Centre had also promised to start a cargo service for Dehra Dun airport, which was one of the 35 metro-airports in the country.

The Jollygrant airport in Dehra Dun has been upgraded by Airports Authority of India (AAI) for operation of Boeing-737/Airbus-320 class of aircraft considering traffic potential and requirement projection in the state.