Australia's Qantas Airways announced Tuesday it will increase prices on international flights this week as jet fuel costs spike due to Middle East conflicts. The airline is also considering expanding capacity on European routes as demand surges with flights running over 90% full in March.
Australia’s flagship airline Qantas Airways announced Tuesday that it will raise ticket prices on international flights this week as jet fuel expenses climb due to ongoing Middle East conflicts.
In a company statement, the Australian carrier revealed it is also evaluating the possibility of expanding service capacity on current European flight paths over the next several months.
The ongoing U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran has driven oil prices higher, disrupting international travel patterns and raising concerns about potential widespread flight cancellations and a significant downturn in the travel industry.
Ticket costs for flights between Asia and Europe have already jumped sharply as airlines face restricted airspace access and reduced flight availability.
Earlier the same day, Air New Zealand, which competes with Qantas, revealed similar widespread price increases, marking one of the first major airlines to implement such changes since the conflict began.
In an email response to Reuters, Qantas reported that its European flight schedule remains unchanged and planes are operating at more than 90% capacity during March, representing approximately 15 percentage points higher than normal occupancy rates for this period.
“More customers have also been choosing to travel to Europe via the United States, other Asian cities, and Johannesburg, connecting through Qantas’ partner airline network,” Qantas said.
“We are exploring options to redeploy capacity into Europe on existing routes in the coming months.”
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