Flying soon? Airlines line up fuel surcharge—Rates, dates, phases, everything else to know

Days after Tata group airline Air India announced a surcharge on its flight tickets, InterGlobe Aviation -- which owns and operates the IndiGo airline -- announced a similar charge on its airfares, set to take effect from Saturday, March 14.

The country's largest airline by market share sad its decision to levy a "fuel charge" is in response to a surge in aviation turbine fuel (ATF) rates. ATF -- or jet fuel -- forms the lion's share of airlines' operating costs.

IndiGo said it will continue to monitor the situation and make relevant adjustments as and when appropriate. It also stated that it remains committed to offering affordable, convenient and consistent travel to its customers.

Add Zee Business as a Preferred Source

The news comes at a time when persistent disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz -- a maritime passage crucial for the passage of about one-fifth of the world's oil and gas -- are impacting the availability and prices of petroleum products in several parts of the world, including in India.

IndiGo said that the fuel charge will apply to bookings for flights on its domestic as well as international routes. The charge will come into force with effect from 12:01 am on that day, it noted.

From then, all its bookings will include the additional levy.

Middle East crude oil disruptions pinch Indian airlines

According to the airline, the measure is to counter a spike in fuel rates on the back of ongoing geopolitical issues in the Middle East.

InterGlobe Aviation said that the International Air Transport Association’s jet fuel monitor -- a widely-tracked metric for the aviation industry -- indicates an increase of at least 85 per cent in fuel prices for the region.

The airline said that this sudden and steep increase will have a material impact on all airlines’ costs and network, including IndiGo’s.

IndiGo claimed to have introduced a relatively smaller amount as fuel charge compared to its costs keeping in mind the consequential burden on customers.

IndiGo regretted the inconvenience caused due to the additional levy, reiterating that the measure was driven by the sudden and substantial change in the operating environment.

IndiGo said that its domestic routes will see the lowest charge of Rs 425 per sector, whereas long haul routes, such as those connecting Europe, will attract the highest charge of Rs 2,300 per sector.

Air India's additional fuel surcharge

On Tuesday, March 10, Air India announced its additional fuel levies citing steep increases in ATF rates.

The Tata group carrier said that its fuel surcharges will be categorised into three phases across domestic and international routes: Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3.

In the first phase, which began on Thursday, March 12, the surcharge was applied to its domestic (India), SAARC, Middle East, Southeast Asia and Africa routes. Domestic and SAARC routes now see a new surcharge of Rs 399 per sector, according to the airline.

In the next phase, which starts on March 18, the airline will be charging the levy on European, North American and Australian routes.

The third and final phase, according to the airline, will cover Far East routes such as Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea. The details of this phase will be shared later, it noted.

Air India said it would review the surcharge periodically depending on fuel price trends.

Phase 1

(For all new bookings from 00:01 IST on March 12, 2026)

Phase 2