Akasa Air has become the latest carrier to succumb to the economic pressure of the West Asia conflict, announcing that it will introduce a fuel surcharge on all domestic and international bookings from March 15. The levy, which ranges from ₹199 to ₹1,300 depending on the length of the journey, follows similar moves by industry heavyweights IndiGo and the Air India group earlier this week.
In a statement released on Saturday, the airline explained that the "significant spike" in aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices — driven by the volatile geopolitical situation — has made the surcharge an operational necessity. As fuel typically accounts for the largest chunk of an airline's day-to-day running costs, Akasa noted that the industry as a whole is currently grappling with a severely altered cost structure.
The new charges will apply to all tickets booked from one minute past midnight on Sunday. While the airline has opted for a tiered system to keep shorter routes relatively affordable, passengers on longer international sectors will feel the maximum impact. Akasa has promised to keep the situation under review, suggesting that the surcharge could be adjusted or removed should global oil markets eventually stabilise.
For the traveller, this latest announcement merely reinforces the growing trend towards increased air travel costs in the Indian aviation sector. With the major players in this region now united in passing on the increased fuel costs to the consumer, it would seem that the era of ultra-cheap air travel has been put on hiatus pending the fallout from the ongoing regional war.
Also read: Akasa Air asked to pay travel agent Rs 1.08-cr compensation
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