Air Malta to increase fuel surcharges

Wednesday 4 June 2008

Airline & Airport Updates

Air Malta airline has announced that due to rising fuel prices it has increased fuel charges for both long-haul and short-haul cheap flights.

The airline said that its fuel bill almost doubled over the past three years; an increase of €30 million, and that with the latest fuel in recent months, the airline will incur a further €32 million increase in its fuel costs.

In response to the rising cost of fuel it said that as of 1st July 2008 the fuel surcharge on all Air Malta scheduled routes will increase by €5 per sector with the exception of flights to Catania, Palermo, Reggio and Tunis which will see an increase of €2.

The surcharge on flights to Rome, Milan, Bologna, Venice, Naples and Tripoli will increase by €3.

The company's fuel surcharge now stands between €11 per sector for the shortest routes to €25 per sector for its longer routes.

Commenting on the situation Joe Cappello, chief executive of Air Malta said: "With the continued increases in jet fuel, at a time when crude oil price is poised to breach the $140 per barrel, we were faced with the need to continue stabilising our operational budgets to ensure the survival of the Company and to get the operation into sustainable viability."