Chennai: The closure of airspace across parts of West Asia—sparked by escalating regional tensions—has sent airfares from India to Europe and the United States soaring to unprecedented levels. Airlines are rerouting flights along circuitous paths to avoid conflict zones, while paying steep premiums for aviation turbine fuel (ATF).Travellers stranded abroad, or those who want to rush home for official duties and personal emergencies, find the fivefold fare hikes unaffordable. Sidharth Sridharan, a Chennai resident who runs a software firm in the US, said the surge has crippled his business operations. He and his employees can no longer afford trips to meet clients or attend marketing events. “My team members and I travel to the US at least once a month,” he said. “The economy fares, usually around 85,000 to 1.2 lakh, rose to 3.8 lakh to 4 lakh over the last two weeks.” At least four flights they booked through West Asia carriers—some still advertised below 1 lakh—were abruptly cancelled. Beyond work disruptions, Sridharan noted that friends in the US couldn’t fly to India even for emergencies such as a family member’s death.Others who reached home were forced to shell out exorbitant sums to return. D Karunanidhi, a Chennai-based travel agent, said working professionals who visited India were forced to cut trips short and faced extortionate prices. “Recently, we arranged a flight ticket for a World Bank chartered accountant for 3.85 lakh,” he said. “Economy fares to the US have surged up to 4.8 lakh. Travel between metro cities for work is also on the decline.“Mohan Chandramouli, a retired manager at Air India, defended the airlines’ fuel surcharges, citing operational strains. Some long-haul flights are flying an extra eight hours. “Flights from Delhi to the US, which should ideally fly for 14 hours over Pakistan and Iran’s airspace, are now rerouted to Gujarat with a halt in Rome for crew rest and fuel,” he said. “Those heading abroad for studies will suffer the most,” he said.Captain Mohan Ranganathan, a Chennai-based civil aviation safety consultant, proposed a policy fix. He urged the Union govt to waive customs duty on excess fuel carried by international flights landing in India. “Now, flights cannot carry fuel beyond the permitted quantum and must pay customs duty in advance,” Ranganathan said. “If that practice is relaxed during crises such as this, the same flight could operate a domestic leg and save significantly on fuel charges,” he added.
