UAE-India Airfares to Rise as IndiGo Raises Fuel Charges

Dubai: Amid a persistent rise in Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) prices and ongoing geopolitical concerns in the Middle East, IndiGo announced higher fuel charges on international flights, which is expected to put more pressure on airfares between the UAE and India.

All IndiGo reservations made starting at 12:01 a.m. on October 6 will be subject to the additional fees, the airline announced on Monday. Regardless of distance, the updated fuel fee for flights between the GCC and the Middle East, including the UAE, will be INR5,500 (about Dh215) per sector.

The airline claimed that since ATF makes up a sizable portion of its operating expenses, the hike was straining its cost structure and network economics. IndiGo has made a measured, minor adjustment to reduce the impact on consumers, even though offsetting the increase in fuel costs would have required a substantially larger increase in fuel rates, according to the airline.

The fuel component of IndiGo tickets has increased again this year, as shown by the most recent hike. The airline raised its fuel fee for overseas flights in April after claiming that ATF costs had more than quadrupled in just one month. At the time, flights within the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Middle East cost roughly Dh115 for trips up to 2,000 kilometres and Dh191 for trips more than 2,000 km.

For sectors previously covered by the lower Dh115 band, the new flat Dh210 fee is roughly Dh95 higher, while longer GCC and Middle East sectors are subject to an extra Dh19.

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