Qantas hikes fares as fuel costs surge on Mideast war
Qantas Airways will increase fares on its international routes in response to a rise in jet fuel costs due to conflicts in the Middle East.
The Australian-flagged airline also said it is considering adding capacity to its existing European routes in the coming months.
The US-Israeli war on Iran has caused oil prices to soar, disrupted global travel and fueled fears of a deep slump in travel and the potential for widespread aircraft groundings.
Airfares on Asia-Europe routes have already increased due to airspace closures and capacity restrictions.
Qantas rival Air New Zealand also announced broad increases in ticket prices early Tuesday, becoming one of the first airlines to do so since the start of the war.
Qantas told Reuters that flights on its European routes were operating as planned and were more than 90 percent full in March, about 15 percentage points above typical levels for this time of year.
“More customers are choosing to travel to Europe via the United States, other Asian cities and Johannesburg, connecting via Qantas’ partner airline network,” Qantas said.
“We are exploring options to redeploy capacity to Europe via existing routes in the coming months.”
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