Amidst the ongoing tension in Gulf countries (West Asia) and airspace problems, passengers coming to India are facing a lot of problems. The situation is such that the ticket prices of special flights coming to India from cities like Dubai and Muscat are skyrocketing. The journey which used to cost a few thousand rupees earlier, now people have to spend lakhs of rupees. According to reports till March 6, 2026, airlines have drastically increased fares for weekend travel, which has increased the concerns of Indian workers and migrants stranded there.
Huge jump in air fares, see latest rates
Passengers were shocked to see the ticket prices on booking websites on Friday. The economy class ticket which normally used to cost between Rs 5,000 to Rs 16,000, has now become many times more expensive. However, the prices of flights coming from Doha, Qatar are still between Rs 9,000 to Rs 16,000, which is a matter of some relief. But the situation on the routes of Dubai and Muscat is bad.
In the list below you can see what the fares have reached on major routes for March 6-7:
Route Airline Fares (Approx) Dubai to Kochi Air India Express ₹59,549 Dubai to Mumbai SpiceJet ₹83,389 Dubai to Mumbai Flydubai ₹1,50,180 Muscat to Delhi Oman Air ₹1.22 lakh
Why did the fare increase and what steps did the government take?
Airlines have cited ‘War-Risk Insurance Premium’ as the main reason behind the increase in fares. Officials say insurance premiums for flying through war-risk routes have increased, adding an additional burden of Rs 20,000 to Rs 35,000 on each passenger ticket. Also, due to taking a longer route, the cost of one trip has increased by Rs 30 to 40 lakh. DGCA has also advised airlines to avoid the airspace of 11 countries in view of security.
Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He has demanded that the Central Government should immediately intervene and stop the airlines from charging arbitrary fares. The government has also operated 58 additional flights, including from IndiGo and Air India, for stranded passengers. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) says they are keeping an eye on the fares so that passengers are not fleeced.