Hong Kong Airlines announced late on 10 March that it will raise fuel surcharges on both short- and long-haul tickets from 12 March, citing a spike in Brent crude prices to above US$110 per barrel after Middle-East hostilities shut key Gulf refineries and disrupted shipping lanes. Surcharges on Japan, Korea and Southeast-Asia routes jump HK$50 to HK$212—an increase of 31 %—while long-haul surcharges to Europe, Africa and North America climb HK$150 to HK$739 per one-way sector.
The carrier, which relies heavily on leisure and SME traffic, said the adjustment “reflects extraordinary fuel-price volatility and higher operating costs linked to longer routings that avoid conflict airspace.” Rival Cathay Pacific signalled it may follow suit, noting that its own monthly review mechanism is “closely tracking jet-fuel movements.” New entrant Greater Bay Airlines will decide on changes “in due course.”
For mobility managers the surcharge spike comes on top of sharply higher base fares caused by capacity constraints through Gulf hubs. A Hong Kong–London economy return ticket now exceeds HK$21,000 on some dates, three times the February average. Companies with regional commuter programmes—especially in manufacturing and sourcing—face budget overruns and may need to renegotiate travel caps or shift meetings online.
![Hong Kong Airlines Hikes Fuel Surcharges Up to 31 % as Gulf War Drives Oil Above US$110]()
Amid these mounting cost pressures, VisaHQ can remove at least one variable from the travel equation. Through its Hong Kong portal (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) the service fast-tracks visa and passport processing for more than 200 destinations, enabling companies and individual travellers to reroute or reschedule at short notice without being tripped up by documentation delays.
Travel-procurement advisors recommend locking in Q2 travel now, using corporate-contract fuel surcharge caps where available, and revisiting per-diem allowances, because ticket price inflation often cascades into higher hotel and ground-transport costs. They also urge finance teams to track fuel surcharges separately from base fares for better forecasting.
Should oil remain above US$100, analysts expect other Asia-Pacific carriers to impose fresh surcharges within weeks, potentially reigniting debate over whether such add-ons should be rolled into transparent base fares in line with EU regulations.
The carrier, which relies heavily on leisure and SME traffic, said the adjustment “reflects extraordinary fuel-price volatility and higher operating costs linked to longer routings that avoid conflict airspace.” Rival Cathay Pacific signalled it may follow suit, noting that its own monthly review mechanism is “closely tracking jet-fuel movements.” New entrant Greater Bay Airlines will decide on changes “in due course.”
For mobility managers the surcharge spike comes on top of sharply higher base fares caused by capacity constraints through Gulf hubs. A Hong Kong–London economy return ticket now exceeds HK$21,000 on some dates, three times the February average. Companies with regional commuter programmes—especially in manufacturing and sourcing—face budget overruns and may need to renegotiate travel caps or shift meetings online.
Amid these mounting cost pressures, VisaHQ can remove at least one variable from the travel equation. Through its Hong Kong portal (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) the service fast-tracks visa and passport processing for more than 200 destinations, enabling companies and individual travellers to reroute or reschedule at short notice without being tripped up by documentation delays.
Travel-procurement advisors recommend locking in Q2 travel now, using corporate-contract fuel surcharge caps where available, and revisiting per-diem allowances, because ticket price inflation often cascades into higher hotel and ground-transport costs. They also urge finance teams to track fuel surcharges separately from base fares for better forecasting.
Should oil remain above US$100, analysts expect other Asia-Pacific carriers to impose fresh surcharges within weeks, potentially reigniting debate over whether such add-ons should be rolled into transparent base fares in line with EU regulations.
