Travellers booking with India carriers for flights would be required to shell out more as airlines have jacked up fuel surcharge after a 7.6% hike in aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices.
International travellers looking to book flights to India with Air India, country,s national airline are likely to pay more for their flights as the carrier has hiked up fuel surcharge on both domestic and international operations. This follows the 7.6% hike in aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices.
Last week, Air India increased the surcharge for international flights by USD15 (Rs 840) for a one-way ticket and by USD30 (Rs 1,680) for return tickets. For domestic flights, the fuel surcharge has gone up by INR150 for flights of upto 1,000 km and by INR250 on longer domestic flights.
Jet Airways and its subsidiary JetKonnect also imposed the levy on all domestic flights, notified a company statement published in media reports. The statement also said that on most international flights out of India, a one-way surcharge of $15 will be levied by Jet Airways. However, it wasn,t made clear which international routes would be let off from the surcharge.
One of India,s low-cost carriers, SpiceJet has also made it clear that it can’t accommodate the recent hike in ATF costs and consequently the burden would be passed onto those booking flights.
“We are studying the impact of a steep hike of aviation turbine fuel prices on our operational costs which are high in any case. We are studying the situation and may take a decision soon,” one of the airline officials said last week.
Carriers in India have been seeking cutback in taxes and have also sought and received consent from the India government to import ATF directly.
