INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Budget 2022: The Aviation Turbine Fuel price has been hiked for the third time in a month.New Delhi: Jet fuel price rose to record levels
across the country following a steep 8.5 per cent hike necessitated due to a spike in international oil prices.While the jet fuel or
Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) price has been hiked for the third time in a month, petrol and diesel prices remained unchanged for a record
88th day in a row.ATF price was hiked by Rs 6,743.25 per kilolitre or 8.5 per cent to Rs 86,038.16 per kl in the national capital, according
to a price notification of state-owned fuel retailers.This is the highest ever price touched by ATF
The rate is higher than Rs 71,028.26 per kl reached in August 2008 when international crude oil prices touched $147 per barrel
Brent crude oil on Tuesday was trading at $91.21 per barrel.The increase in price will put pressure on the already strained balance sheets
of airlines.Tuesday's price hike is the third increase in a month
Rates were hiked by Rs 2,039.63 per kl or 2.75 per cent to Rs 76,062.04 per kl on January 1 and then again by Rs 3,232.87 per kl or 4.25 per
cent to Rs 79,294.91 per kl on January 16.These increases in the rate came on the back of two rounds of price cuts seen in December that
reflected a drop in international oil prices during the second half of November and mid-December.Thereafter, international rates have firmed
up, leading to the hike in ATF prices.ATF price had last peaked at Rs 80,835.04 per kl in mid-November 2021 before it was cut on December 1
and 15 by a total of Rs 6,812.25 per kl or 8.4 per cent.Jet fuel prices are revised on the 1st and 16th of every month based on the average
price of the international benchmark in the preceding fortnight.Unlike ATF, petrol and diesel rates are revised daily after taking the
average price in the preceding fortnight
But prices have remained unchanged since November 4, 2021, when the central government had cut excise duty on petrol by Rs 5 per litre and
that on diesel by Rs 10 a litre.This is despite a wild swing in international oil prices
Brent crude oil, the best-known international benchmark, was at $82.74 per barrel on November 5, 2021, before it started to fall and touch
$68.87 a barrel on December 1.Prices have climbed since and are now near $91, well above the peak of $86.40 touched on October 26, 2021,
which had led to petrol and diesel prices spiking to an all-time high.Petrol costs Rs 95.41 a litre in Delhi and diesel is priced at Rs
86.67, price information from state fuel retailers showed.Before the excise duty cut, petrol and diesel prices had touched an all-time high
While petrol had crossed the Rs 100 a litre mark in most cities, diesel was above that level in nearly half the country.In Delhi, petrol
came for Rs 110.04 a litre and diesel for Rs 98.42.Prices had eased from an all-time high on November 4, 2021 after the Union government had
cut excise duty on petrol by Rs 5 per litre and diesel by Rs 10 a litre.States also cut local sales tax or VAT on the two fuels -- BJP-ruled
states on the same day and some others at differing dates thereafter
But other than these two, the basis rates have remained unchanged.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by
TheIndianSubcontinent staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
