Outbound travel cracks: airfares up 30-50%, MakeMyTrip air ticketing slips as rupee, war, fuel bite
Iran-US conflict, $90+ crude and a rupee at 96.96/USD have pushed Europe roundtrips from Rs 60-70k to ~Rs 1 lakh and packages up 30-35%. MakeMyTrip air ticketing fell 2% QoQ to $58.73M; outward remittances dropped to $1.09bn in March from $1.65bn in January. Travellers defer or pivot to Japan, Vietnam, Korea; premium experiential demand holds.
What happened
Iran-US conflict, fuel spike and rupee weakness have hit Indian outbound travel: airfares up 30-50%, MakeMyTrip ticketing dipped, packages costlier. Travellers
Key facts
- 42% outbound Apr-Aug
- 29.4 lakh travellers in May
- outward remittances $1.09bn March vs $1.65bn January
- MakeMyTrip air ticketing $58.73M, -2% QoQ
- Europe roundtrip Rs 60-70k to ~Rs 1 lakh
- package prices up 30-35%
- rupee down 11% YoY, hit 96.96/USD
- 3.27 crore Indians travelled abroad in 2025, +5.9%
- inbound -9.4% to 90.2 lakh
Why this matters
Distressed mid-market outbound operators and Asia-focused DMC assets become acquirable as FX and fuel pressure consolidates the long-haul package segment.
Also reported by
- Forbes India — 42h after first sighting