Holiday season: Air tickets on high demand despite high price
Ahead of the extended holidays on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr and Pahela Baishakh on April 10-14, the demand for air tickets is soaring.
Sources at the country's four airlines -- Biman, US-Bangla, Novoair, and Air Astra -- said many people are opting for flights to reach tourist destinations at home and abroad to spend their holidays.
Air tickets for domestic destinations, especially Saidpur, Rajshahi, Jashore, and Sylhet, have become scarce due to the increased demand. As such, ticket prices on different domestic routes have also increased by more than double, said the sources.
"Around 70 percent of tickets for different domestic destinations from April 6 (25th Ramadan) onward have already been sold," said Kamrul Islam, general manager (public relations), US-Bangla Airlines.
Ohidul Islam, a private job holder, said, "Although the ticket price is high, I prefer to travel by air to spend the Eid holidays with my family in Rajshahi to avoid hassles of road or rail journeys."
Demand for air tickets on Dhaka-Saidpur and Dhaka-Rajshahi is particularly high, as it usually takes around 14 to 15 hours for holidaymakers to reach their destinations in the northern region.
Also, demand is high for air tickets to Cox's Bazar, a popular holiday destination in the country.
"People who bought tickets one or two months ago got those at normal or base price. Now, however, as there is a limited number of seats left on specific dates, prices shot up accordingly," Kamrul also said.
Demand is also high for air tickets to different popular holiday destinations abroad, especially Maldives, Singapore, Thailand, and India, said airlines sources.
A Biman official, wishing anonymity, said, "It's not true that we are increasing prices targeting Eid. It's a normal trend in aviation sector across the globe that prices of air tickets shoot up when demand is high."
The number of domestic air passengers increased by about 64.73 percent since 2019, said Kazi Wahidul Alam, an aviation expert.
According to Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh (Toab), an estimated 15 lakh holidaymakers are likely to make trips to different domestic tourist destinations this Eid.