Delhi-US flights 10-15% cheaper this summer | Mumbai News

MUMBAI: Airfares to the US have dropped — a first in many summers — and is being described by many as the effect of US president Trump’s policies.
The most noticeable drop is for flights out of Mumbai, with the cheapest one-way ticket to New York, available on Saturday for travel around mid-May, priced as low as Rs 37,000 (see box). Although the cheapest return is priced at Rs 76,000, it involves a long transit halt at a Middle Eastern airport. However, for Rs 85,000, you can get a ticket via Delhi or London with a wait time of no more than four hours.
Indians form the second-largest immigrant community in the US, but it is not only children flying back home to visit their parents or parents flying to and fro to see their children. India also sends the largest number of students to the US, making flights to the US in high demand throughout the year.
In past years, airfares to fly between India and the US were high due to the skewed demand-supply dynamics. This summer, however, the scene has changed. For those with a valid visa, travelling to the US is now economical, at least as far as airfares are concerned.

“Summer marks the peak holiday season for Indian travellers, with schools closed and families, including multiple-generation families, travelling to popular long-haul destinations like the US. Interestingly, we’re seeing a drop in airfares for travel from Delhi and Mumbai to key US cities during the April–June 2025 period, with average fares dropping by 5–8% compared to the same time last year,” said Indiver Rastogi, President and Group Head, Global Business Travel, Thomas Cook (India) and SOTC Travel.
“Based on bookings made in January–February 2025, fares to San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles averaged Rs 1.15 lakh—down from Rs 1.20–1.25 lakh in 2024. Similarly, fares to Boston, Orlando, and Michigan were around Rs 1.35 lakh, compared to Rs 1.40–1.45 lakh last year,” he said.
To fly out this month, the return fare approaches a lakh on flights with agreeable transit times at Middle Eastern airports.
While these estimates are based on bookings done in the first two months of the year, the latest round of fares has shown a further decline.
“In the past few summers, airfares for travel to the US have been high throughout the year. After the pandemic, when India reopened its borders to international flights in March 2022, there was not much cheer for passengers flying to the US as the Russian invasion of Ukraine early that year brought on fresh problems for airlines and passengers. Avoiding Russian airspace meant flying a longer route, and US carriers pulled out the few flights they had from Mumbai and Delhi to US destinations,” said an airline official. While some of the flights were restored in later years, the number of direct flights is still at an all-time low, he added.