Southeast Asia’s biggest budget carrier AirAsia has raised fares and adjusted fuel surcharges, but without specifying by how much.
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SAMSUL SAID
Demand for alternative routes to Europe that bypass West Asia is also surging, pushing up ticket prices. More than 43,000 flights scheduled in and out of the Middle East were cancelled between February 28 and March 10, according to data from analytics firm Cirium Ltd.
Here is a list of airlines that have announced increases to fares and fuel surcharges:
AirAsia
Southeast Asia’s biggest budget carrier has raised fares and adjusted fuel surcharges, but without specifying by how much. The airline said it will “dynamically monitor market conditions and react proactively as and when needed.”
Air India
Air India and Air India Express will phase in fuel surcharges across domestic and international routes from March 12.
- From March 12 a surcharge of ₹399 ($4.35) will be added to domestic flights and services to South Asia, West Asia and the Middle East. Surcharges to Southeast Asia will rise to $60 from $40, and for Africa to $90 from $60.
- From March 18, the surcharge for Europe will rise $25 to $125, and to North America and Australia by $50 to $200.
- Surcharges to Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea to be announced later.
Air New Zealand
The airline said March 10 it will raise fares by an unspecified amount, and may need to take further pricing action and adjust its network and schedule if fuel costs remain elevated. The company also suspended its earnings guidance, saying assumptions on fuel costs announced late last month are no longer valid.
Hong Kong Airlines
Hong Kong Airlines increased fuel surcharges, starting March 12, on a range of routes, including a 35 per cent increase, or HK$100 ($12.80), to the Maldives, Nepal and Bangladesh. The levy on long-haul destinations including Australia and North America will rise HK$150 to HK$739.
Japan Airlines
JAL, which already applies a fuel surcharge on international routes, said it has no plans to bring forward changes to levies before April 1.
Qantas
Australia’s largest carrier is raising fares on international routes by around 5 per cent on average. Jet fuel prices have risen by as much as 150 per cent in the past two weeks, which is driving up costs across the business, Qantas said. Flights on European routes, including Perth-London, Perth-Paris and services via Singapore, are more than 90 per cent full this month, up from a typical load factor of 75 per cent at this time of year.
SpiceJet
Founder Ajay Singh said carriers will have “no choice” but to impose a fuel surcharge. He is looking for the government to lower jet fuel taxes, warning that even $90 a barrel oil is “completely unsustainable.” Singh said SpiceJet has considered grounding planes if high oil prices persist and that airlines may have to rethink their expansion plans in such an environment.
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Published on March 11, 2026