With rail, road connectivity restored, airfares drop

Mangaluru: Airlines operating from Mangaluru International Airport that made a killing during the floods have brought down their fantastic prices, after road and train services from Mangaluru have been restored. Presently, the price of one-way ticket to Bengaluru is below Rs 2,000.

Earlier during the second week of August, the airlines had hiked the fares by three to four times, to the nearest destinations, especially Bengaluru. The prices soared after incessant rain caused multiple landslides along Charmadi and Shiradi ghats routes, effectively cutting off road and rail connectivity between Mangaluru and its neighbouring districts.

Normally, the flight rates between Mangaluru-Bengaluru cost less than Rs 4,000, but come crises period, the fares soared up to in excess of Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000. During the period, prices to other cities like Mumbai and Hyderabad too soared.

However currently, with the restoration of road and rail connection, the prices have fallen sharply to less than Rs 2,000 for one-way. However, the prices will rise up to Rs 4,000 for one-way fare during the festive season from Sep 1^st to 4^th.