Muscat: Travel to India will get costlier because the country’s largest operators have increased fuel surcharges this month.
The India’s largest airlines, Indigo, Air India and Air India Express have increased the surcharge, which will be now Rs5,500 for Southeast Asia, GCC and the Middle East, North and East Asia. At the current exchange levels tickets are likely cost extra by nearly RO22 on flights to Oman.
The charges were added to the cost of a ticket and for bookings from October 6 and 9 onward.
The global average aviation fuel price last week rose 1% compared to the week before to $187.34/bbl.
The aviation fuel prices are the lowest in India at $166.57/bbl and around $174.19 in Asia.
The aviation fuel prices are in $195.95 in Europe and $190.84 in North America.
On a year-to-year basis, jet fuel prices have surged by 90% since 2025. The sharpest regional price increases occurred in Europe and the CIS (97.8%), followed by the Middle East (84.5%), Africa (100.9%), Asia and Oceania (81.9%), and North America (88.9%).
According to the International Air Travel Association (IATA), “Fuel is the largest operating expense for airlines. Aviation fuel costs more than crude oil, and the difference between the two is called the jet fuel crack spread. Given the historically strong correlation between jet fuel and crude oil prices, airlines have been able to manage fuel price exposure primarily through crude oil market risks.”
Global airfares have risen by roughly 10.8% year-on-year (as of June 2026) driven by aviation fuel costs and capacity constraints, according to OAG Group.
