Ticket Price Hike: After Air India and IndiGo, Akasa Air delivers a blow too! Here is the impact on your pocket..

Due to the ongoing tensions and war-like conditions in the Middle East, international market prices for Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) have witnessed a sudden and massive surge. Airlines are now directly shifting the burden of this additional cost onto the shoulders of ordinary passengers. Following the country's leading carriers—Air India and IndiGo—Akasa Air has now also announced that it will levy an additional 'fuel surcharge' on its passengers.

Akasa Air's New Charges

According to a recent statement issued by an Akasa Airlines spokesperson, the new fuel surcharge will come into effect for ticket bookings made on or after March 15. This rule will apply equally to both domestic and international flights. The only silver lining is that passengers who have already booked their tickets before March 15 will not be required to pay this additional fee. This surcharge will be determined based on the specific route and distance of each flight. The simple logic behind this is that the longer your flight, the higher the surcharge you will have to pay. Akasa Air passengers will now be required to pay an additional amount ranging from ₹199 to ₹1,300 on their tickets.

IndiGo Also Imposes Fuel Surcharge

Airlines state that Aviation Turbine Fuel constitutes the single largest operational expense for any carrier. This sudden spike in fuel prices has severely disrupted the entire budgetary and operational framework of the airlines. To offset these substantial costs, IndiGo has also taken the decisive step of increasing fuel surcharges across all its domestic and international routes, effective from 12:01 AM on March 14, 2026.

According to IndiGo's new rate card, passengers traveling on flights within India and across the Indian subcontinent will be required to pay an additional surcharge of ₹425. Meanwhile, this charge has been fixed at ₹900 for the Middle East, ₹1,800 for Southeast Asia and China, ₹1,800 for Africa and West Asia, and ₹2,300 for flights bound for Europe. Passengers booking tickets starting tomorrow will have to dig significantly deeper into their pockets compared to before.

Air India Was the First to Initiate This Trend

This move to pinch passengers' pockets began as early as March 12. Air India and Air India Express were the first to decide on levying an additional fuel surcharge of ₹399 on flight tickets. The company clarified that the new surcharge system would not be implemented all at once, but rather introduced gradually in a phased manner. Under the first phase, effective March 12, a sum of ₹399 is being added to every ticket for domestic flights within India, as well as for all flights bound for SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) nations.

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