"If they raise it again, we'll cancel the tour." Belarusians face rising air ticket prices

Photo: Lookby.Media

Back in January, Pavel made an early booking for September — a charter flight from Minsk to Nha Trang, Vietnam. However, a few days ago, the man learned that he would have to pay a fuel surcharge — 40 dollars for each traveler, writes Onliner.by.

— We always book tours through an agency. And the travel agent sent us information that due to a significant increase in the cost of aviation fuel, Belavia is raising fuel surcharges. They offered options: either more than 4,000 (1,505 dollars) for issuing air tickets no later than a certain date, or the tour cost would increase by 113 rubles (40 dollars) per person. We immediately refused to pay for the air ticket and agreed to an additional payment of 80 dollars for two (about 225 rubles). If we had paid for the air ticket, the tour could not have been canceled before departure, and this condition is very important to us.

Павялічыць

Pavel admits that at first, the news made him even consider canceling the tour altogether, but they didn't rush:

— But if they raise it again, then we will cancel. The first time they raised it by $80 for two – we can still handle it, because we booked the tour six months ago with early reservation and we think $80 is bearable.

The news about the increase in fuel surcharges is also being discussed on social media.

Павялічыць

On the one hand, Belarusians are not happy about the need to pay extra for fuel surcharges, but on the other hand, it's good that it's generally possible to fly somewhere. The energy crisis, provoked by the conflict in the Middle East, threatens the existence of small European airports. Prices for aviation fuel have exceeded 1800 dollars (1535 euros) per ton, leading to an increase in air ticket prices and a reduction in the number of flights.

Ryanair's CEO, Michael O'Leary, stated that due to soaring oil prices, "two or three European airlines could go bankrupt" by the end of the year. Among them are Wizz Air and airBaltic, who in response accused their competitor of lying. Prices have risen so much that Turkish Airlines, Transavia France, and Lufthansa are withdrawing planes from service and suspending flights.

"The increase might be purely symbolic"

Onliner.by contacted Belavia for comment. Here's what the national carrier replied:

— The current situation in the aviation fuel market creates an unprecedented burden on the operational activities of all air carriers, and our company is no exception. In a number of airports where Belavia operates or plans to start operating flights, we have encountered a shortage of aviation fuel, and prices have more than doubled. The fuel component accounts for a significant share of the cost of each ticket.

The company emphasized that it tries to balance tariffs, keeping them at a reasonable level through internal reserves:

— But unfortunately, we cannot avoid price increases in principle. This does not apply to all destinations; we work through each flight separately. For short-haul flights, the price increase may be purely symbolic; for long-haul flights, of course, the increase will be more noticeable. We are not pursuing a massive reduction in our flight program to reduce losses, as is currently happening with some foreign air carriers. Our goal is to maintain the affordability of flights for passengers. And despite the fact that we have temporarily had to cancel two charter routes (operated at the request of customer tour operators), the airline's regular flights and the vast majority of charter flights are being operated at their previous volume.

According to the International Air Transport Association, aviation fuel prices surged in March, rising by 106.6% compared to March last year, amidst a 43.1% increase in crude oil prices and a 320% increase in refining margins.

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