Airlines hike fares amid fuel crisis, surcharge up to ₹2,300 on tickets

As the ongoing Middle East crisis pushes up aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices, Indian airlines have begun increasing fares by introducing fuel surcharges across routes.

After Air India and Air India Express, both IndiGo and Akasa Air have announced additional charges on flight tickets in response to rising fuel costs.

Akasa Air said it will levy a fuel surcharge ranging from ₹199 to ₹1,300 on both domestic and international routes. The new charges will apply to all bookings made from 12.01 am on March 15, while tickets booked before that will remain unaffected. The airline stated that the surcharge will be calculated on a per-sector basis, depending on flight duration.

A day earlier, IndiGo announced a similar move, introducing a surcharge between ₹425 and ₹2,300 on tickets starting March 14. The airline cited a sharp spike in jet fuel prices, noting that fuel costs have surged significantly due to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

Earlier, Air India and Air India Express had also implemented fuel surcharges. A charge of ₹399 per ticket on domestic routes came into effect from March 12, with additional fees for international destinations depending on the region.

Airlines said aviation turbine fuel which forms a major portion of operating expenses has seen a steep rise amid the crisis, forcing carriers to pass on part of the burden to passengers.

While airlines maintain that they are trying to balance operational efficiency with affordability, the cascading impact of the fuel crisis is now being felt across the aviation sector, with passengers likely to face higher travel costs in the coming weeks.

(With inputs from syndicated feed)