IndiGo wants lower airport fees and taxes as jet fuel costs stay high, CEO Willie Walsh said, days after it posted a quarterly loss.

Walsh was speaking to the media for the first time since taking charge earlier this year.

His ask was simple. ‘Airport charges are too high,’ he said.

He said airport charges rose about 4% in the July to September quarter, and airlines want better value from airport operators. Fuel is the main pressure.

Walsh said it makes up more than 40% of IndiGo’s costs, against about 32% for airlines worldwide, because Indian carriers pay the full swing in jet fuel prices.

The gap between crude oil and jet fuel prices has widened.

It averaged around 22% from 2000 to 2025 but is now close to 65%, he said.

IndiGo does not hedge its fuel, which means locking in prices ahead of time, and Walsh said the airline will carry out a full review of that policy before it decides anything.

Asian airlines typically hedge about 40% of their fuel, while European carriers cover 70% to 80%.

IndiGo is also looking at a proposed fuel price stabilisation scheme but has stayed out so far over cash-flow concerns.

For now, the airline is absorbing as much of the increase as it can.

Walsh said fares could rise if costs stay high, though financial stability has to come first. Tensions in West Asia are adding to the strain.

IndiGo has cut about 30 flights a day, mostly to and from Saudi Arabia, and will restore them only when it is safe.

Closed Pakistani airspace has also forced Indian carriers to rework their routes.

The first Airbus A350-900 is due in the second quarter of 2028, and IndiGo has 60 of them on order.

Walsh said it will remain a low-cost airline. The comments came days after IndiGo reported a net loss of about Rs 1,879 crore for the September quarter on 29 October.

That was narrower than the Rs 2,582 crore loss a year earlier, even as revenue rose about 26% to Rs 23,364 crore.

Want a clearer plan for your next intraday trade? Get research-backed recommendations with entry levels, targets, stop-losses and timely updates. Download the Intraday Traders by EquityPandit app and get started.