Patna: Air travel to Bihar has become prohibitively expensive in the run-up to Holi, with fares on several domestic routes soaring to levels that in some cases rival or exceed the cost of international tickets.
Passengers travelling to Patna from major cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai report sharp increases in ticket prices as demand intensifies ahead of the festival. On some routes, fares have more than doubled compared with normal periods, leaving many travellers scrambling for alternatives as trains also fill up.
On the busy Delhi–Patna sector, ticket prices have climbed to around Rs 13,000 for departures on March 1 and 2. The same journey typically costs between Rs 4,000 and Rs 5,000. With limited seats remaining, airlines appear to be pricing according to peak demand, forcing late bookers to pay a substantial premium.
The spike has drawn particular attention because some domestic tickets now cost nearly as much as, or more than, certain international routes. For example, flights operated by IndiGo from Delhi to Singapore have been listed at about Rs 15,497 for similar dates. By comparison, direct flights from Mumbai to Patna have been priced between Rs 16,000 and Rs 17,000, despite the significantly shorter distance.
The Mumbai–Patna corridor is traditionally one of the busiest during Holi, reflecting the large number of migrant workers and professionals from Bihar employed in Maharashtra. Standard fares on the route generally range from Rs 7,000 to Rs 8,000, meaning current prices are roughly double the usual rate. Direct services are filling rapidly, further tightening availability.
Routes from southern India have seen similar trends. Flights from Bengaluru and Chennai to Patna, which typically cost Rs 6,000 to Rs 7,000, are now being sold for around Rs 15,000 as IT and corporate sector employees head home for the holiday.
In contrast, fares on the shorter Kolkata–Patna route have risen more moderately. Tickets for March 1 have been available for about Rs 5,000, compared with a usual price of roughly Rs 3,000. The relatively short distance appears to have limited the scale of the increase, though seats remain in high demand.
Rail travel offers little relief. Confirmed train tickets from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Chennai to Patna are scarce, with waiting lists growing longer by the day. Flights on peak dates are also close to full.
In response to the seasonal surge, authorities have announced the operation of around 200 special buses for Holi. Even so, heavy demand across all modes of transport means that, for many families, the annual journey home is proving significantly more expensive this year.
