Indian airlines have scheduled 2.6% fewer domestic flights for November 2026, the Diwali month this year, Business Standard reported on 1 November. Data from Cirium, an aviation analytics firm, shows 22,306 weekly flights against 22,912 in October 2025, last year’s Diwali month. Air India has cut the most, by 14.9%, from 3,644 to 3,101 weekly flights. IndiGo is down 2.7% to 13,697, Air India Express is down 3.1% and SpiceJet is down 5.2%. The paper links the cuts to high fares driven by fuel costs and a weaker rupee.
The cuts fall hardest on some leisure routes. Ahmedabad to Goa drops from 112 to 44 weekly flights, Delhi to Leh from 150 to 72, and Hyderabad to Tirupati from 168 to 82. Bengaluru to Goa has 48 fewer weekly flights, and departures from Patna fall from 377 to 302. Business Standard also cites an IndiGo load factor, the share of seats sold, of 80.3% against 82.5% earlier. Fewer seats and higher fares can reduce the number of short holiday trips.
Our view is that hotels in Goa, Leh and pilgrim towns such as Tirupati will feel this more than big city hotels this festive season. Hotels that depend on short fly in weekends lose, while drive to destinations near large cities gain guests who switch to road and rail. Coverage has focused on airlines and has not tracked how hotel bookings in these towns are moving. In past fare spikes, Indian travellers have shifted to nearer, road based trips rather than cancelling outright. We expect Goa hotels to report softer November occupancy than last year’s Diwali period, while hill stations within driving distance of Delhi and Bengaluru report firmer demand. Confidence: medium.
This is important for our readers because fewer flights mean fewer guests for hotels on the affected routes. If your hotel is in Goa, Leh or Tirupati, check your forward bookings for November this week. Consider offers for guests who arrive by road or rail. Ask your travel agent partners which source cities still have good air links.
Sources:
Business Standard, 1 Nov 2026
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