British Airways raises long-haul fuel surcharges

British Airways Plc is raising passenger fuel surcharges on long-haul flights after the rise in oil price in recent weeks, it said, four months after cutting them.

The surcharge on long-haul flights of less than nine hours will rise 10 per cent to £33 per flight from May 2, and by 8.6 per cent to £38 on flights longer than nine hours, BA said.

"The cost of fuel has risen significantly in recent weeks. Unfortunately, we have little choice but to pass on some of this extra cost to our customers," commercial director Robert Boyle said. BA's short-haul surcharge was left unchanged at £8.

BA also said it expected to pay over $2 billion for fuel in its current financial year to March 2008.

BA said a fuel surcharge was "the most transparent way for our customers to understand what they are paying and allows us to adjust the direct cost to our customers appropriately, whether that is increasing or reducing the fuel surcharge".

In January, BA cut the surcharge on long-haul flights of less than nine hours to £30 from £35.

Virgin Atlantic raised its two long-haul fuel surcharges to £34 and £38 earlier this month.