The ongoing war-like situation involving Iran, the US, and Israel is now directly affecting the budgets of ordinary Indian travelers. Disruptions in crude oil supplies have pushed up the price of aviation turbine fuel (ATF), leading airlines to impose fuel surcharges.
As a result, flight ticket prices on almost all major domestic routes have increased by 30–35 percent in recent days.
Recently, ATF prices for domestic airlines went up by 8.5 percent. Since ATF makes up around 35 to 45 percent of an airline’s total operating costs, any increase in fuel prices directly impacts airfares. This is now clearly being felt by passengers across the country.
How Much Have Fares Increased from Delhi?
Looking at flight bookings for April 16, the cheapest non-stop ticket from Delhi to Goa now starts at ₹8,384. On IndiGo, fares for the same route are currently between ₹9,038 and ₹11,098.
Just a few weeks ago, the same ticket was available for ₹4,500 to ₹6,000. If booked for the next day, the fare from Delhi can go up to ₹15,000.
The Delhi to Bengaluru route has become even more expensive. The fare for April 16 has reached ₹12,596, while next-day ticket prices are ranging from ₹15,000 to ₹17,000.
Fares Rise Sharply from Jaipur and Other Cities
The Jaipur to Bengaluru route has seen a 30 percent increase, with fares starting from ₹11,568 and going up to ₹24,129.
For Jaipur to Ahmedabad, ticket prices are now between ₹7,036 and ₹12,443, which is about 15 percent higher than last year.
The Jaipur to Mumbai route is around 10 percent more expensive, with fares ranging from ₹6,305 to ₹13,481.
Meanwhile, the fare from Jaipur to Goa has reached ₹13,128, and demand is so high that it is difficult to define an upper price limit.
Passengers from Ranchi and Nagpur are also facing the impact.
The Ranchi to Delhi fare, which usually stayed between ₹8,000 and ₹10,000, has now increased to ₹12,000 to ₹15,000.
Tickets from Ranchi to Mumbai now cost ₹14,000 to ₹16,000. Flights to Kolkata are priced between ₹8,000 and ₹10,000, while fares to Hyderabad range from ₹10,000 to ₹13,000.
Similarly, the Nagpur to Delhi fare jumped from ₹10,228 to ₹13,495 in just one day. A few weeks ago, the same route cost only ₹5,500 to ₹6,000.
The Chandigarh to Bengaluru fare, which was ₹12,000 until March 31, has now reached ₹16,000.
A ticket from Chennai to Hyderabad, which usually costs around ₹6,000, was sold for ₹19,000 this weekend.
Fares to Kochi have nearly tripled, rising from ₹4,000 to ₹18,000.
Airlines Add Fuel Surcharges
Airlines have started adding extra fuel surcharges to cover rising costs.
IndiGo first imposed a fuel surcharge on all domestic and international tickets from March 14, ranging from ₹425 to ₹2,300 per seat, depending on the route.
Air India and Air India Express introduced a ₹399 fuel surcharge on domestic tickets from March 12.
Akasa Air also introduced its own surcharge from March 15.
From April 2, IndiGo introduced a new surcharge structure. Domestic routes are now being charged ₹275 to ₹950, depending on distance.
Similar charges are being applied by Air India and Akasa Air, including:
₹275 on short routes such as Delhi to Lucknow
₹600 on Mumbai to Kolkata
₹800 on Bengaluru to Hyderabad
₹950 on Chennai routes
No Relief Yet for International Flights
There is currently no relief for international passengers.
Fuel surcharges for Gulf and Middle East routes are ranging from ₹3,000 to ₹5,000, while flights to Europe and the UK are seeing surcharges of up to ₹10,000.
Airfares are not expected to come down until the Iran crisis eases and crude oil supplies return to normal.
The government has provided some partial relief to domestic airlines so that the full ATF burden is not passed on to passengers. However, no such support has been provided for international routes.
