Raises fuel surcharge on domestic flights by $20 and by up to $100 on international flights
Fuel costs of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) have risen 34% due to the crisis in the Gulf region and the carrier is increasing the fuel surcharge on both domestic and international routes, a spokesman said on Thursday.
He added that PIA would raise the fuel surcharge by $20 on domestic flights and by up to $100 on overseas flights.
The spokesman further said that 165 flights were cancelled in the past 12 days due to the crisis, which had also significantly hurt international operations.
Higher oil prices due to the Iran war are increasing prices of jet fuel, which accounts for a big portion of airlines’ costs. Brent crude oil rose near $100 per barrel on Thursday on worries about disrupted supply.
Read: How world’s biggest airlines have hedged against fuel price increases?
Spot Northwest European jet fuel prices were at $1,536 per metric ton on Thursday, trading near an all-time high of $1,633 they reached intra-day on Monday.
Air operations from Pakistan to the Middle East have been severely disrupted by the regional conflict, with more than 500 domestic and international flights cancelled over the past three days, stranding thousands of passengers.
Globally, the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran has disrupted airline operations, with carriers from Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates among the hardest hit.
Six airlines from these countries — Etihad, Air Arabia, Flydubai, Qatar Airways, Emirates and Kuwait Airways — have cancelled about 2,381 flights a day, affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers.
Between March 1 and March 10, only around 50 flights operated, bringing total cancellations during the period to about 23,810, according to statistics reported by The Express Tribune.
