Surging Oil Prices | Mainland Airlines Raise Fuel Surcharges, Some Double

Middle Eastern conflicts have caused oil prices to surge, leading to doubling fuel surcharges for major airlines on the mainland.

According to mainland media reports, China Southern Airlines has issued a notice to ticket agents that, due to international fuel price adjustments, fuel surcharges for international flights will be adjusted in phases. The surcharge from China to Southeast Asia will increase by 100 RMB, to Australia by 270 RMB, to the United Arab Emirates by 150 RMB, to the United States in economy class by 250 RMB, and to business class by 500 RMB.

In addition, Spring Airlines, Juneyao Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, and China Chengyu Airlines have also gradually increased their international flight fuel surcharges, with the highest increase doubling. For example, Spring Airlines raised the fare from Shanghai to Kuala Lumpur and Penang from 180 RMB to 360 RMB.

Earlier, Juneyao Airlines announced that due to international fuel price adjustments, starting this Friday (the 20th), fuel surcharges for routes between China and Southeast Asian countries will be adjusted. The surcharge for China-Vietnam routes will be increased to 400 RMB per segment, China-Indonesia routes to 600 RMB, and routes between China and Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia to 550 RMB.

Spring Airlines also increased fuel surcharges for some international routes on the 11th of this month. The most significant increase was on the Shanghai to Kuala Lumpur and Penang routes, where the surcharge doubled from 180 RMB to 360 RMB. Routes to Japan also saw a noticeable rise, with Shanghai to Osaka, Fukuoka, and Nagoya increasing from 200 RMB to 312 RMB, a rise of over 50%.

For domestic routes, the next window for fuel surcharge adjustments is April 5. Currently, the standard from January 5 remains in effect: routes under 800 km are charged 10 RMB, and those over 800 km are charged 20 RMB. Industry insiders generally expect that as oil prices continue to rise, more airlines may follow suit with increases, further raising travel costs for passengers.

In response to rising oil prices, four airlines in Hong Kong have also increased their fuel surcharges. Cathay Pacific’s short-haul flights have increased from 142 HKD to 290 HKD, medium-haul flights from 264 HKD to 541 HKD, and long-haul flights from 569 HKD to 1164 HKD, more than doubling.