Summer 2026 airfares from Mumbai sharply up as travel demand rises

Mumbai: Airfares on several domestic and international routes from Mumbai have expectedly surged sharply for summer vacation travel, even as the govt’s recent call for restraint in non-essential foreign travel might temper outbound leisure sentiment in the near term, said industry insiders.

According to airfare data shared by Cleartrip, average summer fares this year have risen substantially on key routes compared with the summer of 2025. For instance, Mumbai-London average one-way fares have risen 53% year-on-year to around Rs 1.15 lakh, while Delhi-Paris fares are up 52% to about Rs 1.1 lakh. Domestic leisure routes have also seen steep increases, with Delhi-Srinagar fares increasing 68% to Rs 12,000 and Mumbai-Leh fares rising 74% to Rs 14,800.

“The overall industry has seen a notable shift in the pricing landscape this summer due to a recent spike in fuel costs, rupee depreciation, and reduced international flight capacity,” said Gaurav Patwari, chief business officer-Air, Cleartrip. “The fares are likely to stay at elevated levels and might see a further increase on the back of the geopolitical situation, adverse macros and peak summer demand.”

TOI checked fares available on Monday across travel portals for travel around May 20 and return in early June from Mumbai and Navi Mumbai airports and found the percentage hike in fare varying for different routes. For instance: the cheapest return fares to Srinagar was priced at around Rs 34,000 from Mumbai, Leh at Rs 63,000, and Ranchi at nearly Rs 19,500. The high-demand flights out of Mumbai metropolitan region such as those to Delhi, Kochi, Bangalore, Hyderabad etc were priced roughly the same for flights from both, Mumbai, and Navi Mumbai airports.

The fare surge comes amid heightened focus on discretionary international travel following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent remarks urging citizens to prioritise essential overseas travel during challenging economic conditions. Airline and travel sector stocks reacted negatively on Monday, with shares of IndiGo parent InterGlobe Aviation and SpiceJet declining amid concerns that outbound travel demand could soften.

Industry bodies, though, believe travel demand will shift rather than disappear.

Ravi Gosain, President, Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) said: “It is not likely that travel will completely stop for Indians—but rather travel behaviours will shift to visiting destinations domestically and taking shorter travel vacations; spiritual tourism; wellness retreats; and experiential travel.” He added that the changing trend could benefit India’s domestic tourism ecosystem including hotels, airlines, transport operators and local businesses, while also underlining the need for stronger promotion of inbound tourism to boost foreign exchange earnings and employment.