The airfares are six times more expensive ahead of the ICC World Cup 2023 clash between India and Pakistan in Ahmedabad.
The airfares have skyrocketed since the demand has reached an “all-time high” according to Nishant Pitti, who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and co-founder of EaseMyTrip.
There has been a massive surge in ticket prices for October 14, one day before the match, between the Delhi-Ahmedabad and Mumbai-Ahmedabad sectors. Currently, a one-way direct flight from Delhi to Ahmedabad and Mumbai to Ahmedabad is priced between Indian Rs15,000 to Rs22,000.
“Even if people book three months in advance, airfares are six times more expensive than usual. An economy class Delhi-Ahmedabad ticket in August and September would be around Indian Rs3000. But the same ticket a day before the match, would cost Rs20,000,” Pitti was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times.
“The demand for flight tickets and searches on our website reached an all-time high. Majority of people keen to attend the match have already started booking the tickets in advance,” he added.
Earlier, hotel room rates for the India-Pakistan match in Ahmedabad had also skyrocketed after the International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed the fixture for the ODI Cricket World Cup on June 27.
The unmatched demand for the most-anticipated match of the World Cup has led to an increase in the fares with the arch-rivals set to take on each other at the Narendra Modi Stadium on October 15.
Rents have gone up to ten times almost, despite many of them already sold out for the day, and some hotels are even charging an amount near to Indian Rs100,000. It must be noted that on a normal day, the same hotel charges about Rs5,000 to Rs8,000 for the same room.
The last time Pakistan and India faced one another in an ICC event was in the T20 World Cup match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground last year where more than 90,000 people were present in the stadium.
A full house is expected at the Narendra Modi Stadium, having a capacity of about 132,000 spectators.