IndiGo revises fuel charges from April 2 amid ATF price hike; check sector-wise rates

Budget carrier IndiGo on Wednesday revised fuel charges on both domestic and international routes for all bookings made from April 2, citing a sharp rise in aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices.

The airline said the revised fuel surcharge will apply to tickets booked from 12.01 am on April 2, 2026.

ATF prices were more than doubled on Wednesday in line with international trends.

According to state-owned fuel retailers, jet fuel rates in Delhi were hiked by ₹1,10,703.08 per kilolitre, or 114.5 per cent, to a record ₹2,07,341.22 per kl.

This is the second consecutive monthly increase in ATF rates.

The previous peak was recorded in 2022, when rates had surged to around ₹1.1 lakh per kl following the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Jet fuel accounts for nearly 40% of an airline’s operating costs, making carriers highly sensitive to changes in ATF prices.

The government, however, intervened to cushion domestic air travellers from a sharp spike in ATF prices, allowing only a partial and staggered pass-through of the increase for domestic operations.

“In support of air travellers and the aviation industry, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Ministry of Civil Aviation have decided to pass only a partial and staggered increase of 25 per cent to airlines for domestic operations,” the airline said in a statement.

IndiGo has recalibrated its domestic fuel surcharge based on distance slabs.

For domestic routes, passengers will now pay an additional ₹275 per sector for flights up to 500 km, ₹400 for 501–1,000 km, ₹600 for 1,001–1,500 km, ₹800 for 1,501–2,000 km, and ₹950 for distances above 2,000 km.

On international routes, the airline said the impact on operating costs has been “significant”, prompting higher surcharges.

For flights within the Indian subcontinent, the surcharge will be ₹900 for routes up to 500 km and ₹2,500 beyond that.

For Gulf and Middle East destinations, passengers will pay ₹3,000 for routes up to 2,000 km and ₹5,000 beyond.

Flights to Southeast Asia and China will attract a surcharge of ₹3,500 for up to 2,000 km and ₹5,000 for longer distances.

The surcharge has been set at ₹5,000 for Africa, ₹7,500 for Greece and Turkey, and ₹10,000 for the UK and the rest of Europe.

IndiGo said that fully offsetting the surge in fuel prices would have required steeper fare hikes, but the airline has chosen to pass on only a part of the increase to customers “keeping in mind the consequential burden on them.”

“IndiGo regrets the inconvenience resulting from this fuel charge and reiterates that the measure has been driven by a sudden and substantial change in the operating environment,” it said.

“IndiGo will continue to monitor the situation and make relevant adjustments as and when appropriate,” the airline added.