New Delhi, June 2 -- International airfares may be in for some relief. On Monday, India's state-run oil companies slashed aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices for overseas flights by more than a quarter. They credited this cut to a dip in global fuel benchmarks.

Prices for domestic jet-fuel use, which saw far smaller hikes earlier this year, were left unchanged. So a price divergence designed to cushion local flyers has finally narrowed.

User-focused calibration involves political calls that evoke questions. Do aviation consumers need support, for example, at the cost of oil companies and India's coffers, both of which bear a big burden for fuel prices that are yet to rise enough to cover actual costs overall?

Since liquefied petroleum g...