Cathay Pacific expects fuel surcharges to rise amid war in Middle East
發佈日期: 2026-03-11 22:35
TVB News
Hong Kong's flagship carrier Cathay Pacific posted a net profit of over 10 billion dollars in 2025, driven by expanded capacity and robust cargo demand. As a result of the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, the airline will soon announce a fuel surcharge increase, citing a surge in jet fuel costs.
In response to volatile oil prices, Hong Kong Airlines was the first carrier to announce a fuel surcharge hike.
Cathay Pacific also signaled at its annual results press conference that it will raise the surcharge. Their current surcharges range from 142 to 569 dollars.
Chief Customers and Commercial Officer Lavina Lau said, "If we look at the jet fuel prices so far in March, we see the jet fuel almost doubled compared to the average in January to February. As the fuel surcharge is based on jet fuel as a reference point, so we can expect that fuel surcharge will also go up because of the current unusual situation."
As to whether ticket prices will also be affected, the carrier says it depends on global supply and demand.
Lau said, "For us Hong Kong (to) Europe, I think that's the obvious one. So we do see an upsurge in demand. We actually also see some upsurge in demand in other parts of our networks as well. For example, India to North America that is also a route which relied heavily on Middle Eastern hubs previously. We do also see travellers trying to find alternatives for these itineraries."
In 2025, Cathay's net profit went up 9.5 percent to 10.8 billion dollars.
Its subsidiary HK Express, however, recorded a wider loss of 996 million dollars.
In addition to a pay rise this year for the entire group, staff may also receive a total of 11 week's salary through discretionary bonuses.
