Airfares between India and Europe have surged due to limited availability of seats and curtailment of operations by West Asian carriers.
A one way ticket between Delhi and London is being sold for upwards of ₹78,000 for travel on Wednesday, data from online portal MakeMyTrip show. While tickets are sold out on all non stop flights, the lowest priced ticket of over ₹78,000 is for a two-stop flight via Jeddah and Amman operated by IndiGo and Royal Jordanian Airlines.
A search on Air India website on Tuesday evening showed economy class seat availability on Delhi London route on March 12 with lowest fare of around ₹1,30,000.
As of now Emirates and Etihad are operating repatriation flights to carry stranded passengers. While flights beyond Wednesday midnight are available for sale, agents say most of the available seats are being used to accommodate passengers of previously cancelled flights.
“Demand is outstripping supply in a major way. The demand is primarily from those who want to return to their homes or those who want to reschedule their cancelled trips,” said Anil Kalsi, vice president of Travel Agents Federation of India.
According to aviation industry sources, as of FY 2025 Air India carried most number of passengers between India and Europe followed by Emirates, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways and British Airways.
Data from aviation analytics firm Cirium show there are 38 daily flights (two way) between Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha and London Heathrow. Besides these the airlines have extensive network to other cities in Europe.
“We were operating with 90 per cent plus occupancy prior to the disruption. So flights were nearly full and not many seats were for sale. Our priority now is to rebuild network and support stranded passengers,” an executive from a West Asian airline said.
Published on March 3, 2026