FlySafair introduces temporary surcharge as Middle East conflict drives jet fuel prices up
FlySafair will introduce a temporary fuel surcharge from 12 March after jet fuel prices at South African coastal airports surged about 70% in a week amid Middle East conflict, affecting flights until 12 May as airlines face rising oil costs.
FlySafair is raising its prices due to the impact of the war in the Middle East.
The local low-cost airline says it is introducing a temporary fuel surcharge effective on Thursday, 12 March.
It will apply to flights taking off on or before 12 May.
The airline says it has been absorbing the rising fuel costs since the war broke out over a week ago but that the situation has become unsustainable.
Jet fuel prices surge at South African airports
“With Jet A1 Fuel prices at South African coastal airports now up approximately 70% in just one week, and no clear end in sight, the airline has reached the point where it must pass on a portion of these costs to ensure the long-term sustainability of the airline and its low fare offering,” the airline explained.
FlySafair says jet fuel prices at South African coastal airports have rocketed by about 70% in a week.
The company says that with no clear end to the conflict, it has reached a point where it has to pass some of the cost on to passengers.
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The surcharge amounts will vary depending on route length and fuel consumption.
Airline promises transparency with temporary surcharge
“We will be specifically itemising this temporary dynamic fuel surcharge on all tickets to ensure fairness and transparency to our customers,” said Kirby Gordon, Chief Marketing Officer at FlySafair.
Gordon says prices will go back to normal once fuel prices stabilise.
“The persistence and scale of these fuel costs have left us with no reasonable alternative.”
“Instead of increasing fares across the board or hiding costs, we have chosen to introduce a clearly labelled, temporary surcharge. This gives customers full visibility into what they are paying for and allows us to remove the surcharge once prices stabilise.”
Several airlines in the Asia-Pacific region, including Cathay Pacific and Qantas, have also announced surcharges.
International oil prices resumed their rise on Wednesday as the Strait of Hormuz remains paralysed.
Three more ships were hit near the strait in the last few hours.
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