Chinese airlines, including Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines, have raised fuel surcharges due to escalating fuel prices.
For journeys of over 800km, carriers will charge passengers RMB70 (US$10) up from RMB40 (US$5.90), reflecting a 75 percent increase. For shorter journeys, they will charge RMB40 (US$5.90) up from RMB20 (US$2.90), a 50 percent increase. These new levies apply to both international and domestic routes.
The surcharge is a response to the National Development and Reform Committee's October 25 announcement of a 3 percent hike in gasoline rates.
The hike in fuel surcharges has not gone without comment in the Chinese media, which pointed out the disparity between the rise in fuel prices and the airlines' surcharge fees. At press time, there was no reaction from local airlines on the issue.
In other markets such as Hong Kong or Singapore, fuel surcharges have been observed to go up by as much as 3 to 4 percent in tandem with the fluctuations with gasoline prices.
Alisha Haridasani