Amid terror threats in Kashmir, flight ticket prices skyrocket

Srinagar, Aug 03: Airfares for flights from Srinagar sky rocketed after the Jammu and Kashmir state government issued an advisory urging pilgrims to curtail their Amarnath Yatra and return as soon as possible.

Private airlines such as IndiGo, SpiceJet, GoAir and AirAsia are charging between Rs 10,000 to Rs 22,000, for a one-way direct flight from Srinagar to Delhi.

The normal rates generally hover around Rs 3,000.

Similarly, from Srinagar to Jammu, the current flight rates are around Rs 16,000. Other places like Amritsar, Chandigarh, Jaipur also witnessed a jump in airfares ranging between Rs 10,000 to Rs 19,000.

Hundreds of tourists and Amarnath pilgrims are looking to leave the Kashmir Valley even as several airlines with flights from Srinagar showed that all virtually all seats have been sold with just a few remaining.

However, Airlines such as Air India, IndiGo and Vistara announced that given the turmoil, they were temporarily waiving off cancellation and rescheduling charges for flights to and from Jammu and Kashmir.