“Daylight Robbery”: Airlines Slammed For Fare Hike After Pahalgam Attack (image-pixabay)
In the wake of the recent attack in Srinagar, flight fares from Srinagar to major cities across India have skyrocketed, which has caused alarm among the travellers. Due to the initial reports indicating a spike in the airfares due to the increase in demand, the government had issued a “strong advisory against surging prices” to airlines and asked them to maintain regular airfare levels on flights.
The average ticket fare when travelling from Srinagar, when booked in advance, ranges from ₹3,000–10,000 depending on the city the individual wishes to travel. However, as per the X posts shared by many during the early hours of 23rd April, the price had gone up to ₹36,000.
Read also: Pahalgam Terror Attack: Muslim Horse Rider Shot Dead, Family Says He Was The Sole Breadwinner
Just look at how Private Airlines are charging 3 times more fare from the panick stricken tourists of Sri Nagar. pic.twitter.com/uFyc3TTgr5
— Manish RJ (@mrjethwani_) April 23, 2025
Another user, agreeing with the exploitation by the top airlines, posted that the price from Srinagar to Delhi is two times higher than Delhi to Srinagar. The airlines, which had just charged an amount of ₹4,978 to travel to Srinagar from Delhi, today charges ₹9,620 for the return flight.
Same route. Same airline. Same duration.
Yet, the price from Srinagar to Delhi is 2x higher than Delhi to Srinagar!
Just days after a terror attack, shouldn’t people be helped to leave safely—not charged extra?
Is this demand-based pricing or daylight robbery?
When money >… pic.twitter.com/tCu1mPXJ1Q— MBA Investmentwala (@Aditya_Hujband) April 23, 2025
Following widespread criticism over the surge in ticket fares, condemned by many as “daylight robbery” by corporate interests, airlines were compelled to reduce their prices.
Just look at how airlines are shamelessly charging 5-10X the normal fare from panic-stricken tourists fleeing Srinagar after the #PahalgamTerroristAttack.
“Aapda mein Avsar” at its absolute worst. pic.twitter.com/KQ6ARvcJmq
— Greater Noida West (@GreaterNoidaW) April 23, 2025
Meanwhile, the attack has come at a time when the Srinagar–Jammu national highway—the key road connecting the Valley to the rest of the country—is blocked due to landslides for the next two to three days. The only other road from the Valley to Jammu is the old Mughal Road, which is not an all-weather road and passes through the highly sensitive Shopian and Rajouri districts.
For the desperate tourists trying to get out of the Valley, they are left with two options: the train from Srinagar to Sangaldan, which bypasses the landslide-hit Ramban, and flights from Srinagar International Airport, where the fares have already skyrocketed owing to the closed highway. Meanwhile, heavy crowds of tourists departing the city were reported at the Srinagar airport.
Heavy crowd being reported at the Srinagar airport since morning of people, mainly tourists, departing Kashmir. Air India is running two special extra flights from Srinagar to Delhi and Mumbai today.
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) April 23, 2025
Read also: After Pahalgam: A Look Back At The Deadliest Civilian Terror Strikes In Kashmir
According to the Hindustan Times, around 2 lakh tourists are currently in Kashmir. Taking direct charge of the situation, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu has announced that four special flights have been deployed. In addition to this, many major airlines have come forward, announcing free rescheduling and full refunds upon cancellation on flights till April 30.
