Mumbai: Indian students who study abroad continue to bear the burden of travel restrictions imposed by India on international flight aviation scheduled.
The latest is present in high rates to return to India during the winter vacation around the end.
With high demand and low supply, returning air fare for trips to India from countries such as the US, Britain and Canada are currently given a price of about three times the pre-covid rates, parents said.
The worst hit is a student who is bound to India from the US West Coast.
“This year, with Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok cover with Indian leaflets, students from the West Coast of the US have no choice but transit through Europe and the Middle East,” said a travel agent.
On Saturday, the cheapest return rate for mid-December-early travel trips.
Travel in San Francisco-Delhi non-stop flights began at Rs 2.3 Lakh, offered by Air India.
A cheaper choice is transit through Dubai, at a price of 1.9 lakh Rs, but a 25 hour trip is a trip.
The cheapest rates in San Francisco-Mumbai are left flight starting at RS 2.2 Lakh, Indian air transit through Delhi.
Other rates are also expensive.
The cheapest Round Rates available in New York-Mumbai began at Rs 1.6 lakh and involved Dubai transit and a 23 hour trip on each road.
The cheapest rates for non-stop return flights from New York to Delhi start at RS 1.7 Lakh.
Likewise, for the home trip Boston-Mumbai, the tariff starts at Rs 1.7 lakh while Chicago-Mumbai via Dubai is the lowest cost price at RS 1.9 Lakh.
The cheapest return in London-Mumbai without stopping began at Rs 1.4 lakh in Air India, cheaper rates for RS 1.15 Lakh involving Dubai transit.
Delhi has a better non-stop connectivity, with Toronto-Delhi non-stop return with the price of Rs 2 Lakh and Chicago-Delhi back without stopping at Rs 1.8 lakh.
Navin Bhatia (name changed on request), the parents who divided his time between England and India said he had decided to meet his children – one study in Canada and others in the US, Dubai this winter.
“It’s much cheaper to fly to Dubai than to India from here in England,” he said.
“I will try to take a round trip to India from there if the rates are better.
At present, Dubai-Mumbai’s return for the last week of December is priced at Rs 65,700,” he said.
Three weeks ago, he booked a ticket for a mid-December trip and returned January.
London-Dubai round trip in the cost of economy class RS 80,000 while the economic class tariff in London-Mumbai starts at RS 2 Lakh.
His daughter Vancouver-Dubai returned through the cost of Toronto RS 1.4 lakh while Boston-Dubai his son again cost Rs 1.2 lakh.
“Rates for this winter trip are at least three times the pre-covid rate.
In some cases they even four times in 2019 rates,” he added.
India suspended international scheduled international flight operations on March 23 last year.
At present, international aviation operations are carried out under the ‘Air Bubble Agreement’ which has been signed by India with 28 countries that provide direct / indirect connectivity to more than one hundred international destinations.