Abu Dhabi firm compensates Indian amputee
Abu Dhabi, June 22 : An Abu Dhabi-based Indian, who lost his hands and legs following an injury at work, has been paid 202,000 dirhams ($54,994) as compensation by his company after the intervention of the Indian embassy here, the media reported.
Punjab-origin Gurbinder Singh was earlier offered a mere 5,750 dirhams by the company as final settlement and was also terminated from his job, Khaleej Times reported on Thursday.
However, the Indian embassy held discussions with Singh's employer and after a series of follow-ups by embassy officials, the company raised the settlement amount to 202,000 dirhams.
On June 20, the company representatives presented a cheque and financial contributions from the staff to Singh's wife Rajwinder Kaur.
Singh, who worked as a crane operator for a private company in Abu Dhabi, had injured his knee at the company site on Zirku Island on February 24.
According to a medical report, Singh was diagnosed with septic shock (a serious medical condition following an infection) and severe left knee necrotising cellulitis (bacterial infection), which required surgical removal of foreign material and dead tissue from injury to prevent the spread of infection. By the second week of April, doctors advised him amputation to save his life. He was discharged from hospital on May 14.
After receiving 202,000 dirhams, Singh said the amount will help fund the education of his two children. His wife said the embassy has offered great help and also appreciated the gesture from the company.
Rajwinder is said to have received assistance from community organisations and people.
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Air India, Air India Express to levy fuel surcharge on tickets; airfares to rise
New Delhi (PTI): Airfares are set to rise with Air India and Air India Express deciding to levy a fuel surcharge of Rs 399 on each domestic flight ticket from March 12 and also hike the charge for international bookings due to a steep rise in jet fuel prices amid the Middle East conflict.
The new fuel surcharges will be implemented in a phased manner.
Regretting the need for fuel surcharges, Air India on Tuesday said that without such surcharges, "it is likely that some flights would be unable to cover operating costs and would have to be cancelled".
In the first phase, a fuel surcharge of Rs 399 per domestic flight ticket would be imposed from March 12, and the same will also be applicable for SAARC flights, a statement said on Tuesday.
For West Asia flights, the fuel surcharge will be USD 10 and hiked by USD 30 to USD 90 for Africa flights and by USD 20 to USD 60 for Southeast Asia services.
All these changes will be effective from March 12, including for flights to and from Singapore. Currently, there is no fuel surcharge for Singapore services.
In the second phase, Air India will increase the fuel surcharge by USD 25 to USD 50 for flights to Europe, North America and Australia starting from March 18.
Fuel surcharge for Europe flights will rise to USD 125 from USD 100, and for North America flights, the same will increase from USD 150 to USD 200.
As per the statement, the fuel surcharge for Australia flights will increase from USD 150 to USD 200.
Currently, Air India Express does not levy fuel surcharges on any of its flights.
"Air India group today announced a phased expansion of a fuel surcharge on its domestic and international routes, necessitated by the steep rise in jet fuel prices arising from the geopolitical situation in the Gulf region," the statement said.
Since early March 2026, the statement that Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF), which accounts for nearly 40 per cent of an airline's operating costs, has seen significant price escalation due to supply interruptions.
"In India, this pressure is amplified by high Excise Duty and VAT on ATF in major metro cities such as Delhi and Mumbai, magnifying the cost impact and placing substantial strain on airline operating economics," it said.
For the avoidance of doubt, the statement said that tickets that have already been issued prior to the above times will not attract the new surcharge unless customers seek date or itinerary changes that require a recalculation of the fare.
There was no announcement regarding fuel surcharges from IndiGo, SpiceJet and Akasa Air.
