Airlines have drastically hiked passenger airfares for flights to Lahore ahead of the eagerly awaited Basant festival 2026 that is scheduled to commence on, February 6 and will end on February 8 in the provincial capital, Lahore.
The colourful kite flying event is a traditional event that is attracting a massive crowd of people from across Pakistan.
With festivities around the corner, visitors have begun pouring into the city. Many have already made reservations for rooftops especially in the Walled City and other prominent neighbourhoods to experience the celebrations.
Amid the rising rush in the movement, the price of flights from Karachi to Lahore has increased drastically. Passengers say the steep increase has put a heavy financial burden on those considering to attend the festival.
According to reports, airlines have resorted to arbitrary pricing for Lahore-bound flights. The expense of a one-way ticket has risen to more than Rs68,000 as compared to the normal Rs28,000 to Rs32,000 that is charged for the same route during normal days.
At the same time, the soaring prices of equipment for kite flying have taken away the festive spirit. Despite government assurance of making it affordable, kite-flying associations have not been able to persuade authorities and market players for lowering the rates of kites and strings.
The report stated that while associations were “on board” with the administration, their efforts were limited to meetings with no real output.
Sources alleged that some representatives seemed more interested in acquiring passes for official events than trying to address market challenges.
Associations also did not try to assess demand trends realistically and seek timely permission to import kite supplies from outside Lahore.
When demand went out of control they moved to bring in stock from other cities, but approvals granted just days before Basant were ineffective.
Internal divisions further weakened their role as the All Pakistan Kite Flying Association and the District Kite Flying Association had their own agendas.
Meanwhile, around 30 new associations had applied for registration, 20 of them have been registered so far.
As Basant gets closer, increasing airfares and excessive kite prices are threatening to overshadow the festivities and there are concerns that regulatory oversight and coordination between stakeholders is lacking.
Also read: How to get free transport on Basant 2026 in Lahore?
