West Asia conflict: Chartered flights see surge in demand as stranded Indians rush to return

Amid the ongoing West Asia crisis, chartered flights are witnessing a surge in demand as limited commercial flight availability leaves many travellers struggling to return to India.

For passengers willing to spend more, private companies have begun operating chartered flights and selling individual seats on private jets, Rohit Hangal, director of Sphere Travelmedia and Exhibitions said.

“Some companies are using this as an opportunity. One firm was offering a seat on a private jet from Dubai to Pune for Rs 80,000,” Hangal told DH.

A Bengaluru-based businessman currently stranded in the UAE with his family said he is considering chartering a private jet after multiple unsuccessful attempts to secure seats on regular flights to India.

“I’m spending lakhs on our stay here every day. It makes more sense to charter a flight to Bengaluru instead,” he said.

Price fluctuation

In Dubai, many passengers are relying on the government-owned Emirates airline to return to India. Travellers say ticket prices vary widely depending on where they are purchased.

“While online websites continue to show extremely jacked up prices, amounting to Rs 1 lakh to 2 lakh per person, buying tickets directly at the airport is proving to be much cheaper,” passengers who arrived from Dubai in Bengaluru late Wednesday evening told DH.

For most passengers, the airline arranged seats as compensation for cancelled flights. Others managed to secure seats by paying around Rs 17,000 for an economy ticket.

“I was supposed to fly out of Abu Dhabi on Sunday, but when that flight got cancelled, I waited for a few days and finally found one from Dubai. The flight actually ended up being much cheaper than my original flight,” said Pratik, who landed in the city on Wednesday.

30 flights cancelled at KIA

On March 5, a total of 30 flights were cancelled at Kempegowda International Airport due to airspace restrictions.

An airport representative said Emirates would operate flight EK566/567 on Thursday, with an expected arrival load of 358 passengers and a departure load of 203 passengers.

However, on March 4, Emirates had announced that all flights to and from Dubai would remain suspended until March 7.