Airfares zoom as people flee Japan

The killer earthquake and the following tsunami in Japan has led to a shocking spike in airfares from Tokyo to other parts of the world, including India, while inbound fares have dropped.

A sample of fares from Tokyo Narita to Beijing, Frankfurt and New York JFK shows that prices of economy tickets have doubled, according to the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation.

All Nippon Airlines charges a whopping Rs 2,02,381 for a one way economy class ticket from Tokyo to Mumbai on March 22. A flight via Singapore can cost you Rs 2,33,432 on the same day!

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As more people leave the country fearing a nuclear disaster, airlines are turning the crisis into an opportunity to mint money.

Japan Airlines charges Rs 1,26,872 for a economy class ticket from Tokyo to Mumbai.

India's national airline, Air India has, however, not hiked fares. Air India's highest fare from Tokyo to New Delhi is Rs 44,556 and lowest is Rs 31,500 in March.

The airline has gone a step ahead to help passengers in distress. It will not levy penalties for re-booking, cancellations and refunds on all types of tickets for travel to and from Japan up to March 31.

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Air India will operate a daily jumbo flight with a capacity of 423 passengers between New Delhi and Tokyo from till March 19.

Air India has helped 900 passengers to come back to India. Besides, the flight to Tokyo, Air India also has three flights a week to Osaka.

Fares on one of the world's busiest routes from Tokyo to Sapporo in the Japan's north have also risen in recent days, according to CAPA.

Business fares from Narita to key short-haul destinations, including Hong Kong and Seoul Incheon have also risen in recent days, but ease for travel booked up to 30 days ahead.

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However, the ticket prices to Tokyo have fallen. Some inbound markets to Japan are also showing signs of weakness, including from Shanghai.

The outlook for fares from Seoul Incheon to Tokyo Narita has also weakened substantially.