Australian travellers facing expensive international air fares for at least ‘four or five years’

Australians eager to travel overseas and reunite with loved ones after two years of pandemic border restrictions are facing expensive international air fares, with a new analysis showing prices have surged by an average of more than 50% across all destinations compared with pre-pandemic travel.

Many airlines cut all services and closed down local offices at the peak of strict quarantine arrival caps in 2021 as they slowly rebuild and resume services to the country, the cost of international travel to and from Australia is expected to remain high.

International airlines are operating about a fifth of the number of passenger services into Australia compared with pre-pandemic levels - not factoring in Western Australia, where traffic is 1% - according to the Board of Airline Representatives of Australia.

Prices for economy seats are on average 54% above pre-pandemic levels, according to data from travel website Kayak provided to Guardian Australia. The data was based on searches for flights between 1 February and 13 February that were departing within 180 days of the search date.

New Delhi was the most searched-for international destination in early February by Australians looking to book holidays, with airline tickets to the Indian capital among the most overpriced when compared with pre-pandemic costs, the data shows.

The average price of a return economy flight to New Delhi is currently $1,584, up from an average of $1,025 in February 2020.

Bali is the second-most sought-after international destination among Australians, with return flights to Denpasar costing an average of $622. Air fares to Bali are among the closest to pre-pandemic costs, just 13% more expensive than in February 2020 on average.