Answered by the MeghQuasar charter desk · Last updated 24 September 2026
When the contract contains a fuel escalation clause and the fuel price moves past the threshold it names between booking and the flight. It is most common on bookings made well in advance. If your contract has no such clause, the quoted price stands.
A fuel escalation clause allows the agreed price to be adjusted if the fuel price moves beyond a stated point before departure. It exists because fuel is a large, volatile share of the cost and the operator is quoting weeks or months ahead. It is normal and not a sign of a bad operator.
Into-plane fuel differs sharply by airport and by country tax treatment, which is why the same aircraft on the same sector can cost different amounts depending on where it fills up. Our own route pricing uses roughly $1.10 a litre into-plane outside India, derived from IATA's published jet fuel price, and Indian departures are priced on Indian ATF at about Rs112 a litre because duty there is higher.
Keep it separate from the items that were always going to be charged and simply were not in the headline: landing and parking fees, overflight permits, de-icing, crew overnight costs. Those are not surcharges, they are inclusions that were never included. Ask for the full list at quote stage.
The base price is normally fixed at contract. A defined set of items can still move: de-icing, unplanned slot and parking charges, crew duty overruns caused by delay, passenger or baggage changes that alter the aircraft, and a fuel escalation clause where one exists.
Yes, the fuel for the flight is normally inside the quoted price along with the aircraft, crew, standard catering, handling and basic insurance. What can sit outside is an escalation adjustment if fuel moves sharply before departure.
Into-plane fuel price varies by airport and by national tax treatment, sometimes considerably. A sector that refuels in a high-duty jurisdiction costs more than the same distance flown elsewhere, which is one reason identical distances do not price identically.
Send the route, the date and the number of passengers. We check operators with aircraft near either end and come back with named options and a price.
Fuel basis: IATA jet fuel price monitor. MeghQuasar is an independent charter broker and does not own or operate aircraft; flights are operated by licensed third-party operators. General information, not advice for a specific trip. Last reviewed 24 September 2026.