Jet fuel constitutes over 40 per cent of an airline's operating costs and the price increase will raise the financial burden on cash-strapped carriers.
Jet fuel prices on Wednesday were cut by 1.3 per cent -- the first reduction after 10 rounds of price hikes -- on softening international crude oil rates. Simultaneously, prices of commercial LPG - used by business establishments such as hotels and restaurants - were reduced by Rs 135 per 19-kg cylinder. The price of aviation turbine fuel (ATF) -- the fuel that helps aeroplanes fly -- has been reduced by Rs 1,563.97 per kilolitre, or 1.27 per cent, to Rs 1,21,475.74 per kl (Rs 121 per litre) in the national capital, according to a price notification of state-owned fuel retailers.
Aviation turbine fuel to now cost more.
Domestic airlines expect the fall in prices of aviation fuel to boost their earnings from the quarter ending December.
For passengers booking a return ticket between India and Singapore from Tuesday, they would be charged $100 as fuel surcharge instead of the present $110 per sector. As a result, they would gain a total of $20 for their onward and return journeys, an airline spokesperson said.
Low-cost carrier SpiceJet would adopt a two-pronged strategy - increase airfare and improve efficiency - for better margins, said Neil Mills, chief executive office of Spicejet Limited.
Major domestic airlines on Wednesday said they were considering imposing a fuel surcharge and hiking air fares following the announcement of a Rs 1,600/kl rise in jet fuel prices from midnight on Wednesday.
As full-service carriers hiked fares and surcharges due to skyrocketing jet fuel prices, the no-frill ones have launched special offers with SpiceJet on Thursday announcing the sale of three lakh tickets for Rs 3 each plus taxes and surcharge from Friday.
IOC along with its sister PSUs, Bharat Petroleum Corp and Hindustan Petroleum Corp had from September 16 cut jet fuel rates by as much as 3.2 per cent to Rs 37,896.83 per kl.
Jet fuel (ATF) price was on Monday hiked by a steep 56.5 per cent and that of non-subsidised cooking gas LPG by Rs 11.5 per cylinder on the back of firming up of international oil rates, but petrol and diesel prices continued to remain on freeze for a record 78th day. Aviation turbine fuel (ATF) price was hiked by Rs 12,126.75 per kilolitre (kl), or 56.5 per cent, to Rs 33,575.37 per kl in the national capital, according to a price notification by State-owned oil marketing companies.
Air fares to go up as ATF price is hiked by 8.2%.
India's export of fuels like diesel to the European Union jumped 58 per cent in the first three quarters of 2024, with a bulk of them likely coming from refining discounted Russian oil, according to a monthly tracker report. The EU/G7 countries in December 2022 introduced a price cap and an embargo on the imports of Russian crude oil in a bid to cripple Kremlin's revenue and create a vacuum in its funding for the invasion of Ukraine.
Rates at different airports vary because of differential in local sales tax or value added tax.
Jet fuel will cost Rs 37,300 per kl in Mumbai, home to the nation's busiest airport, from Rs 38,246.60. The reduced rates will help cash-strapped airlines cut fuel cost, which constitutes roughly 40 per cent of their operational cost.
As a result of crude oil prices falling to a four-year low of around $40 a barrel last fortnight, public sector oil companies today cut aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices by 11 per cent. The rates will be effective this fortnight. The current rates were set on December 1. This is the seventh consecutive cut in ATF prices since September.
After two months of price cuts, the state-run oil companies on Friday hiked aviation turbine fuel (ATF) price by a steep 6.5 per cent in step with hardening international rates.
The share of EVs in the luxury segment rose from 7 per cent in January-May 2024 to 11 per cent during the same period in 2025, marking a 66 per cent growth in the electric luxury segment.
Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum raised avitation turbine fuel price by Rs 3,949 to Rs 36,252 per kilolitre in Delhi effective Monday midnight, an IOC official said. International crude oil prices have firmed to a seven-month high of $72 per barrel on hopes of demand revival in US.
Aviation Turbine Fuel, or ATF, price at Delhi was cut by Rs 3,025.34 per kilolitre, or 4 per cent, to Rs 71,800.21 per kl, according to Indian Oil Corp, the nation's largest fuel retailer.
After eight successive price cuts, state-run oil firms on Thursday raised jet fuel prices by 3.4 per cent reflecting increase in international oil prices.In Mumbai, the home for nation's busiest airport, ATF price will rise by Rs 1,068.87 to Rs 32,447.65 per kl.
Oil companies have slashed Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) prices by Rs 2,221 per kilo litre with effect from midnight on Wednesday.
An airlines industry body has sought reduction in customs and excise duties on aviation turbine fuel and allowing private firms to supply it to bring down prices.
State-run oil firms on Thursday cut aviation turbine fuel (ATF) or jet fuel prices by 4.3 per cent in view of halving of the customs duty on the fuel to five per cent. From today, ATF in Delhi will cost Rs 66,226.66 per kilo litre, down Rs 3,000.42 per kl, while in Mumbai the price has been cut by 4.36 per cent to Rs 68,626.87 per kl, an Indian Oil official said.
Oil marketing companies (OMCs), paint manufacturers, tyre producers, and aviation stocks witnessed significant gains as Brent crude oil prices slipped below $70 per barrel. The price drop came after a double blow: The US imposed tariffs on Canada and Mexico, including energy imports, and OPEC+ - the group of major oil-producing nations including Russia - announced an output increase of 138,000 barrels per day, the first such hike since 2022.
Weighed down by surging jet fuel prices, Air-India's net profit plunged by a huge 82.54 per cent at Rs 16.29 crore (Rs 162.9 million) for the year 2005-06.
Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said Indian airlines had suffered major losses in the past two years over the unprecedented rise in prices of aviation turbine fuel.
While LPG price was raised by Rs 18, kerosene saw a hike of Rs 3 per litre
A subsidised 14.2-kg cylinder will now cost Rs 425.06 in Delhi as against Rs 423.09 previously, according to State-owned oil firms
However, the reduction in ATF prices will provide some cushion to airlines engaged in a protracted price war have lost control over pricing in one the world's most price sensitive domestic markets.
The carrier had planned a GDR issue in December last year to reduce its debt but had failed to do so as its stock prices began slumping.
Market leader IndiGo on Friday followed its rivals and raised fares by 25 per cent to offset the impact of rupee fall and spike in international crude prices.
In Mumbai, jet fuel will cost Rs 72,830.64 per kl from tomorrow as against Rs 68,103.26 per kl at present.
The government on Monday scrapped 30-month old windfall profit tax on domestically-produced crude oil and on export of jet fuel (ATF), diesel and petrol following a decline in international oil prices. Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary tabled a notification in Rajya Sabha scrapping the levy on crude oil produced by firms like state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and exports of fuels done by companies like Reliance Industries Ltd.
Shares of low-cost airline IndiGo hit record high on the bourses soon after reports of pilot crisis at Vistara emerged. The development also saw airfares surge by around 25 per cent on select routes. Shares of IndiGo hit a lifetime high of ~3,68.5 on April 2, 2024, and has gained 2.4 per cent on the bourses in April.
ATF or jet fuel price has been cut marginally while rate of non-subsidised cooking gas LPG has been hiked by Rs 27.50 a cylinder.
Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines may move towards a second round of mergers and acquisitions as smaller low-cost airlines and other rivals, hurt by rising fuel prices, seek an exit from the business to cut losses, an industry expert said. State-run oil firms have hiked jet fuel (aviation turbine fuel) prices by 18.5 per cent in line with rising international crude oil prices.
In India, the aviation industry contributes five per cent of gross domestic product, around Rs 291 crore (Rs 2.91 billion) in tax contributions, provides four million jobs and another seven million jobs through tourism and related activities.