Airfares to surge up to 20 percent as Indian airlines reintroduce fuel surcharges amid West Asia conflict
New Delhi - The deepening conflict in West Asia and the resulting turmoil in the global oil market have started to directly impact the pockets of air passengers. Major domestic carriers, including Air India, IndiGo, and Akasa Air, have reintroduced fuel surcharges in response to the rising prices of aviation turbine fuel and mounting operational costs.
Aviation experts estimate that airfares could witness a steep increase of up to 20 percent in the coming days, as per agency report. Traveling on international routes is expected to become significantly more expensive compared to the past, which is bound to negatively affect foreign tourism and the budgets of students studying abroad. The ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel has not only disrupted crude oil supplies but has also forced airlines to avoid West Asian airspace due to security concerns.
This diversion of flight paths has increased both the distance and duration of journeys, leading to a massive surge in fuel consumption, crew expenses, and the cost of technical stopovers. Consequently, Air India has started levying an additional fee ranging from 10 dollars on international routes to 200 dollars, which is approximately 16,600 rupees, for flights to North America. Similarly, IndiGo has implemented a distance-based surcharge ranging from 425 rupees to 2,300 rupees, making air travel increasingly difficult for the common man to afford.
Aviation expert Sanjay Lazar noted that the combination of longer routes and increased insurance premiums has resulted in a substantial hike in actual ticket prices. For instance, a family of four traveling to destinations like Europe will now have to bear an additional financial burden of around 50,000 rupees. Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has introduced new regulations to provide some relief to passengers, such as mandating the free allocation of 60 percent of seats. However, experts believe that airlines will ultimately recover the losses incurred from these rules by passing the costs onto the passengers. Considering the current global situation, there appears to be no possibility of a reduction in airfares in the near future.
