Pay More For Air Travel? ATF Price Hike By 50% Adds To The Woes Of Aviation Sector

ATF prices in Delhi rose to Rs 33,575.37/kilo litre, in Kolkata, it will cost Rs 38,543.48/kilo litre while in Mumbai, it will be priced at Rs 33,070.56/kilo litre.

A passengers sips a drink in the food court of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) before boarding a plane after domestic flights resumed, in Mumbai. PIC/AFP.

New Delhi: After nearly two months of lockdown, the aviation industry got some wings to fly and resumed operations in a calibrated manner, but the price of aviation turbine fuel (ATF), a major cost component for airlines, being raised by almost 50 per cent in June has again added to its woes. On Monday, prices of aviation turbine fuel (ATF) in Delhi rose to Rs 33,575.37 (increase by Rs 11031.37/kilo litre), in Kolkata, ATF will cost Rs 38,543.48/kilo litre while in Mumbai, it will be priced at Rs 33,070.56/kilo litre, according to the news agency ANI. ALSO READ: Non-Subsidised LPG Gas Gets Costlier In Delhi By Rs 11.50; Check Prices In Mumbai, Kolkata And Chennai ATF prices have increased by almost 50 per cent in June, according to the data on the Indian Oil Corporation’s (IOC) website as reported by Times of India. The ATF price in Delhi has been increased by over Rs 11031.37 from the previous month.

Check the price hike in ATF fuel in metros. (ATF Prices effective June 1)  Domestic airlines flying domestically: Cities Price (in Rs/KL) Delhi 33,575.37 Kolkata 38,543.48 Mumbai 33,070.56 Chennai 34,569.30 ATF prices for domestic airlines on an international run Cities  (Prices (in USD/KL) Delhi 331.22 Kolkata 374.33 Mumbai 335.81 Chennai 327.31 The government had allowed domestic operations to resume from 29 May with strict onboarding rules because of the Covid-19 outbreak. All passenger flights operations were halted since 25 March due to the nationwide lockdown, to contain the spread of the virus. However, international flights are yet to restart operations. Although airlines have resumed operations, but concerns have been raised about the low volume of bookings resulting in muted business.

Aviation minister H S Puri tweeted on Sunday,  that 44,593 passengers have travelled on 501 domestic departures.

ATF rates are revised by oil companies at the beginning of every month.

The fuel cost typically contributes around 40 per cent of the total cost of most budget airlines. The current rise in ATF is expected to make it difficult for airlines to sustain in the current economic situation which has already been battered by the Covid-19 outbreak. This may also translate into higher cost of flying as the airlines may increase the cost of tickets.