Air travel to subcontinent gets costlier

Dubai: With oil prices continuing to skyrocket, travellers on Gulf-subcontinent sector have been hard hit due to last week’s increase in airfares by various national carriers, according to airline sources. However, ticket prices of Gulf carriers will not be affected, they said.
A fuel surcharge hike of Dh20 for Air India and Indian airline tickets already became effective on December 3 after a review on November 12.
It follows a peak of oil prices in November, just shy of $100 a barrel, particularly affecting aircraft turbine fuel (ATF) in India. A one-way ticket on Indian airline will now include a fuel surcharge of Dh310, up from Dh 290, said A.B Pathak, Regional Manager Gulf for Indian airline.
Jayashree Ramachandran, Marketing Manager-Dubai and Northern Emirates for Air India also said there has been a similar increase of Dh 20, effective last Tuesday .
Gulf carriers, including Emirates and Etihad, had decided earlier this year not to implement a fuel surcharge and officials said any change in ticket prices was seasonal.
An Air India Express official said low cost carriers, like their airline, were more affected by load factors or increase in demand rather than by fuel prices, as they aimed to keep their prices significantly lower and travelled to closer destinations.
07/12/07 Zoe Sinclair/Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates

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Categories: Foreign Dec 2007, General Aviation Dec 2007