Air India’s international flights to cost up to ₹17,000 more:Higher charges on domestic flights too, due to expensive fuel; IndiGo has already raised fares

Travelling on Air India flights will become more expensive from Friday, October 9, as the airline has announced an additional fuel charge of up to ₹1,200 on domestic flights and up to ₹17,800 on international flights. The new fuel charges will also apply to Air India Express, as both airlines are part of the Tata Group. The revised charges will come into effect at 12:01 am on October 9. Air India said the decision was taken because aviation turbine fuel (ATF), or jet fuel, has become more expensive. This is the third time in seven months that the airline has increased its fuel surcharge. It had earlier raised the charges on March 10 and April 7. IndiGo also increased fuel charges 2 days earlier IndiGo, the country’s largest airline, had announced a similar increase on October 6, citing higher jet fuel prices. This was IndiGo’s third fuel surcharge increase in six months. The airline had previously raised the charges on March 14 and April 1. ATF price increased by ₹16 Per litre in October The price of aviation turbine fuel for domestic airlines increased from ₹121 to ₹137 per litre from October 1. This means ATF became ₹16, or around 13.2%, more expensive in a single month. Over the past three months, the price has increased by ₹27.28 per litre: August: ₹5 per litre increase September: ₹6.28 per litre increase October: ₹16 per litre increase According to IndiGo, jet fuel prices have risen by more than 14% in the past month, making aviation fuel the most expensive it has been in the last 10 years. Jet fuel is the biggest expense for Airlines Fuel is one of the biggest operating expenses for airlines. Aviation turbine fuel accounts for around 30% to 40% of an airline’s total operating costs. With fuel prices rising, airlines have been passing on part of the additional cost to passengers through fuel surcharges.