Ahead of Ram Temple consecration in Ayodhya, many people are planning a visit to the sacred city. Amid all the frenzy, the airfares witnessed a major price surge. Also, the SpiceJet airlines will  be operating a special flight from Delhi to Ayodhya on January 21. It is scheduled to depart from Delhi at 1.30 pm and reach Ayodhya by 3 pm. There is also a return flight which is scheduled to take off at 5 pm and land at Delhi at 6.30 pm.

Cheapest air tickets 

Are you someone who is planning an end moment trip to Ayodhya. Here is a look at a few reasonable fligt options. 

From Mumbai to Ayodhya: The cheapest flight on January 22 is priced at Rs 3951. It is an IndiGo flight which starts at 8:20. The journey will be 1 hour 55 minutes long.

From Delhi to Ayodhya: The cheapest flight on January 22 is priced at Rs 2935. The journey is expected to be 1 hour 5 minutes long. 

From Bengaluru to Ayodhya: The cheapest flight on January 22 is priced at Rs 5518. The journey is expected to be 2 hours 30 minutes long. 

From Kolkata to Ayodhya: The cheapest flight on January 22 is priced at Rs 5251. The journey is expected to be 1 hour 35 minutes long. 

From Chennai to Ayodhya: The cheapest flight on January 22 is priced at Rs 6891. It is not a direct flight. The cheapest direct flight is priced at Rs 10,000. 

A surge in air fares

On Thursday, the price of flight tickets from Bengaluru to Ayodhya witnessed a surge of nearly 400 per cent. The cheapest one-way ticket from Bengaluru to Ayodhya was Rs. 24,000. Most flights for the weekend are nearly sold out. Also, with the flights which are not sold out, only a handful of seats are remaining. 

As of Thursday, flights from Delhi to Ayodhya and Mumbai to Ayodhya for January 20 and 21 were priced at around Rs 16,000. Mumbai to Ayodhya flights even crossed the Rs 20,000 mark.

Despite being an invite-only event, common people have also made plans for a trip to Ayodhya. As pilgrims from around the world plan on visiting the city, Ayodhya’s Maharishi Valmiki International Airport is expected to serve around 10 lakh passengers annually at a cost of over Rs 1,450 crore.

Many experts have projected a 35 per cent growth in spiritual tourism in the country, driven by destinations like Varanasi, Amritsar, Katra, Puri, Shirdi, Haridwar, and Tirupati.

Who will attend the inauguration ceremony 

Meanwhile, the Ram Mandir inauguration is set to take place on January 22, with many dignitaries from around the world attending it. According to reports, the invitee list has around 7,000 guests from India and abroad. Around 100 heads from 55 countries, including ambassadors and MPs will be a part of this inauguration. "Around 100 heads from 55 countries, including ambassadors and MPs, will witness Ram Lala Pran Pratishtha. We have invited the Korean Queen as well, who claims to be Prabhu Sri Ram Vansaj," Swami Vigyananand said while speaking to ANI.