Akasa Air joins airlines imposing fuel surcharge amid Middle East crisis

After Air India and IndiGo, Akasa Air on Saturday announced a fuel surcharge on domestic and international routes amid a sharp rise in the prices of jet turbine fuel linked to the prevailing Middle East crisis.

“There has been a significant increase in the price of aviation turbine fuel, driven by evolving geopolitical developments in the Middle East. As fuel represents a significant portion of airline operating costs, this impacts the cost of operations across the aviation industry. Given this impact, Akasa Air will introduce a fuel surcharge ranging from Rs 199 to Rs 1,300 on our domestic and international routes,” the airline announced in a statement.

It further added that the fuel surcharge will take effect on March 15, and the surcharge for each flight will depend on the journey duration.

Earlier, Air India and IndiGo also announced fuel surcharges amid the deepening US-Israel-Iran war in the Middle East. Air India became the first Indian flyer to announce a surcharge on domestic and international routes. The airline announced the surcharge in three phases. In phase one, it announced a Rs 399 surcharge on all domestic flights and flights to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

In phase two, the airline announced a fuel surcharge for several international routes, including West Asia ($10), South East Asia ($20) and Africa ($30). In Phase 3, it said that the increased flight fares would be extended to far east destinations such as Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea.

IndiGo, on the other hand, announced that it will impose fuel surcharges of Rs 425 to Rs 2,300 on domestic and international flights from Friday (March 14).

This measure is taken due to the significant surge in fuel prices following ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East," the airline said in a press release on Friday.

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