Fuel surcharge to make flying expensive to small towns, leaves passengers worried

CHENNAI: The decision of IndiGo airlines to introduce two slabs-different fuel surcharge rates depending on the distance of a flight-is expected to cause an increase in air fare, especially on the minimum fare when booked in advance.
The airline announced that it will charge 200 on routes less than 1,000km and 400 for longer flights. But air fare to Trichy, Coimbatore, Madurai, Kochi, Kozhikode, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and other short haul routes have gone up by 300 since Wednesday.

For those flying to destinations more than 1,000km away like Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata, there is a 500 hike. It is unclear whether other low-cost carriers who charge 100 fuel surcharge will emulate IndiGo's decision.

Air fare is already expensive, especially to small towns, due to high demand and fewer services. The impact is that fares may now remain high despite being booked in advance. Air fare on IndiGo airlines from Chennai to Trichy costs 2,763, to Madurai 2,071 and to the price is 2,248 to travel to Vizag in the last week of the month. This is a sharp rise in fares which used to hover between 1,000 and 1,800, when booked a month in advance, say travel agents.

A one-way fare to Delhi is 4,374 and to Mumbai is 2,466 for travel in the last week of June, while fares are marginally lesser for other airlines.

Basheer Ahmed of Metro Travels said, "There is no information whether other airlines will follow suit but there will be an impact on overall fares. Though other airlines did not increase the surcharge, the move by IndiGo will push up domestic fares."

Air Passengers Association of India national president D Sudhakara Reddy said, "This is going to burden travellers. Airlines are forced to introduce fuel surcharge because of rising fuel prices. There should be some control by the government".

IndiGo chief commercial manager Sanjay Kumar, in a statement, said, "With ATF prices in India having risen around 25% in the present month, compared to the same period last year, and at the highest in last three years, the airline is compelled to pass some of the increased cost burden to customers as fuel surcharge."