Steep drop in Airfares in Delhi- Bangkok route on Coronavirus fear

With the fear of Coronavirus forcing Indian travellers to call off their travel plans to South East Asian cities, in particular, airfares to Bangkok's second most popular tourist destination have plummeted.

Now, a round trip airfare could cost as low as ₹9,325 for making the journey even within a week.

NokScoot is offering the cheapest ticket to and from Delhi-Bangkok route to fly to Bangkok on 26 February and return on 1 March.

As per online travel aggregator MakeMyTrip, a return fare on the route by Air India for the same journey dates is available for ₹12,419 (inclusive of fees and surcharges).

Sources in the airline industry said that flight bookings to Vietnam also fell with a drop as sharp as 40%. The largest domestic private carrier IndiGo that first launched flights to Hanoi and then to Ho Chi Minh City in October last year has reduced frequency for the South East Asian nation.

A one-way fare on Kolkata-Ho Chi Minh City by Thai Air Asia is currently available for ₹7,773.

Ankur Bhatia, Executive Director at the diversified Bird Group, said booking rates for most South-East Asian destinations have fallen by 20-30 per cent. He said this demand has also had an effect on Delhi-Kathmandu.

Experts from the travel industry said business-related travel on South East Asian routes was badly affected but leisure travel was worse affected.

As the World Health Organization (WHO) had announced a global emergency Coronavirus outbreak, all international travel has been affected. The most recent count indicates more than 1,700 deaths in China, and over 70,000 reported infections. As many as 25 countries registered positive cases of Coronavirus.

The epidemic has already taken a heavy toll on the travel sector and airlines have seen their international traffic being hit. In order to keep demand steady for its flights, Air India has announced the four-day flash sale.

Both Air India and IndiGo have stopped flights to China and Hong Kong in the wake of Coronavirus spread.