Big blow to air travelers! Jet fuel becomes costlier by 115%, price crosses ₹2 lakh for the first time in history

New Delhi: If you are planning to travel by air in the coming days, then increase your budget immediately. The fire of war raging in the Middle East has now reached straight to your pocket. Government oil companies have announced new and scary prices of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF). There has been a historic and unprecedented jump of up to 115% in jet fuel prices for the month of April. This is the first time in the history of the Indian aviation sector, when the price of jet fuel has crossed ₹ 2 lakh per kilo liter (KL). From Delhi to Mumbai, prices have broken all records. The new rates issued by oil companies have given sleepless nights to everyone from airlines to passengers. The price of ATF, used for domestic flights in the capital Delhi (IGIA), has jumped straight to ₹2,07,341.22 per kilo liter from ₹96,638.14 last month. This is an increase of approximately 114.5%. At the same time, in the financial capital Mumbai (CSMIA) the prices have also increased by 115% to ₹ 1,94,968.67 per KL. Even in metropolitan cities like Chennai and Kolkata, fuel prices have crossed the magical figure of ₹ 2 lakh. Foreign flights have also become expensive, the impact of the dollar has increased the tension. This inflation is not limited to domestic flights only. Fuel prices are on fire even for international flights. International fuel for Indian airlines has now gone well past the $1,000 per KL mark. For international flights from Delhi it has reached $1,690.81 per KL (a jump of 107%) and the highest in Kolkata at $1,727.3 per KL. On top of this, the continuously falling value of the rupee has acted as a ‘leprosy’ for the airlines, because the fuel for foreign flights has to be paid in dollars only. ‘Existential’ crisis looms on the airlines. Fuel has always been the biggest expense for the aviation industry. 40 to 45% of the total operating cost of airlines is spent on jet fuel alone. After this huge increase in prices, it will be difficult for small airlines to continue flying. Expressing concern over this crisis, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said that due to the war, flights to Europe and America are already passing through long routes, due to which fuel consumption has increased wildly. He has clearly warned that due to the fear of increasing costs and decreasing demand, airlines may be forced to reduce the number of flights. There will be a direct impact on the common man’s pocket, fares will touch the sky. The common passengers will have to bear the ultimate brunt of this whole upheaval. Airlines companies have prepared to put the entire burden of increased costs on the shoulders of passengers. It is also a matter of concern that the government has recently removed the ‘fare cap’ of ₹ 18,000 on domestic flights on March 21, 2026. This simply means that now airlines are free to charge arbitrary prices. Major airlines like IndiGo, Air India and Aakasa are already charging fuel surcharge ranging from ₹150 to $200. Experts believe that now this surcharge will be increased significantly, due to which flight tickets may become out of the budget of the common man.