Festive rush leaves air passengers stranded in Tamil Nadu
Chennai, Dec 23
Passengers travelling from Chennai to the southern districts of Tamil Nadu are facing severe difficulties due to the non-availability of direct flights during the peak Christmas–New Year holiday season.
With demand far exceeding the available capacity, airfares have risen sharply and travel times have increased substantially, causing widespread inconvenience to holiday travellers. With schools and colleges closed for extended vacations, a large number of people residing in Chennai and its suburban areas have begun travelling to their hometowns to spend the festive season with their families.
This has resulted in a sharp surge in passenger traffic at Chennai International Airport, particularly on routes connecting the city with southern districts, airline officials said.
Tickets on direct flights from Chennai to Thoothukudi have been completely sold out for both Wednesday and Thursday.
As a result, passengers bound for Thoothukudi are being forced to search for indirect routes. Many attempted to book flights via Thiruvananthapuram, but those flights too are fully booked due to increased festive demand.
With very few alternatives available, several passengers are now compelled to take connecting flights via Bengaluru before proceeding onwards to destinations such as Thiruvananthapuram or Thoothukudi. This has resulted in significantly higher ticket prices and much longer travel durations.
Journeys that would normally take just over an hour have stretched into day-long transits involving long layovers and multiple flight segments.
A similar situation prevails on sectors connecting Chennai with Madurai, Tiruchi and Salem. With all direct tickets sold out, passengers are being forced to route their journeys through Bengaluru, substantially increasing both costs and travel fatigue. Some travellers reported paying nearly double the usual fares to secure last-minute seats on indirect flights.
Passengers have expressed concern over the lack of adequate capacity planning during peak holiday periods, pointing out that festive travel demand is largely predictable.
Many have urged airlines to operate additional flights or deploy larger aircraft from Chennai to key southern destinations such as Thoothukudi, Madurai, Tiruchi, Salem and Coimbatore to ease congestion, control fare escalation and ensure smoother travel during the festive season.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Just paid 18k for a Chennai-Bengaluru-Thoothukudi ticket that is normally 9k. The journey is now 8 hours instead of 1.5. This is pure exploitation by the airlines. They see the demand and just jack up prices. Government should cap festive season fares on these essential regional routes.
While the airlines are definitely at fault for not adding capacity, we also need to look at improving rail connectivity. A proper semi-high speed train network connecting Chennai to Madurai, Tiruchi, and Thoothukudi would take so much pressure off the skies and be more affordable for the common man.
I'm visiting family in Madurai from the US. I see similar holiday crushes back home, but the scale here and the lack of alternatives is something else. The airport chaos is overwhelming. My relatives booked my tickets months in advance, thankfully. Planning is key.
It's not just flights. Buses and trains are also packed to the brim. The entire southern region is on the move. This is the price of development and concentrated jobs in Chennai. Maybe more companies should open offices in Tier-2 cities like Coimbatore and Madurai to reduce this annual migration pressure.
Feeling so bad for the stranded passengers. Festivals are about joy and family. Instead, people are dealing with stress, long layovers, and empty wallets. Airlines, please have a heart and run some additional flights. It's the season of giving, after all! 🙏
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