World Cup fever takes flight as demand soars for private charters

Raghav Mahobe

9 reads

Raghav Mahobe

9 reads

With under a month to go before India hosts the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, private charter operators in the country are receiving a flood of inquiries. From HNIs looking to fly to matches in style to corporates looking to treat their executives, private air travel may finally be coming of age.

September 13, 2023

9 MINS READ

Key Takeaways

India is getting ready for the much-awaited Cricket World Cup, and as match ticket, hotel, and flight prices soar, private charter operators are seeing increased demand for their services
Charter operators say that, in particular, demand is already sky-high for the India versus Pakistan match on October 14
While prices of chartering aircraft have risen 25-70% over the past two years, last-minute demand for services could further increase prices by up to 20%
Many of the booking confirmations, though, will only come in during the final days before matches as people secure tickets to big games

With India set to host the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in October, cricket fever in the country is already reaching a fever pitch. India’s match against arch-rival Pakistan on October 14, in particular, is already slated to be a full house as tickets for the duel are already being sold for eye-watering sums.

According to some reports, tickets for the India-Pakistan clash are being resold for as much as Rs 56 lakh. Hotels in Ahmedabad, the city that will host the hotly-anticipated affair, are largely booked out and those that still have rooms available are listing them for as much as 10X their usual rates.

Unsurprisingly, airfares have also followed suit. Economy class one-way tickets from Delhi to Ahmedabad on the morning of the match are selling for Rs 17,000, The same tickets for those hoping to beat the rush by arriving the day before the game are even dearer at Rs 28,000. Ordinarily, this would cost a traveller around Rs 4,000.

Some Indians, though, aren’t scrambling for air tickets on online travel platforms. Instead, for the privileged few, the World Cup is an opportunity to splurge, and that extends to chartering luxury aircraft to get to games.