Budget carrier SpiceJet triggered another round of fare war on Friday, offering all-inclusive fares starting Rs. 1,999. Market leader IndiGo responded with its own flash sale with tickets starting Rs. 1,499.
The tickets can be booked till June 30 for travel between September 1 and December 15.
The airlines did not divulge exact number of tickets available on discount. By Friday evening, the cheapest available tickets on key routes had been sold out.
“This an excellent opportunity to upgrade to travel by air in view of the recent hike in railway fares,” said Subhash Goyal, chairman, STIC Travel Group. “Traditionally, sales happened mostly during January-March when load factors are low.”
The latest round of sales comes at a time when consultancy firm Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation has said that carriers are likely to post a loss of $1.4 billion in 2014-15.
“It’s surprising that discounted tickets are out during September-December, which happens to be the peak season due to the Durga Puja-Diwali-Christmas break,” said Rajji Rai, chairman, Swift Travel International Ltd.