SunExpress has added a fuel surcharge of €10 per passenger for routes between Turkey and mainland Europe and the measure has applied to bookings made on or after 1 April 2026 for departures on or after 1 May 2026.
Air France KLM has planned an increase of €50 per round trip on long haul tickets while Scandinavian Airlines cancelled 1,000 flights in April because of high oil and jet fuel prices. The surcharge has affected operations from the airline which maintains routes from Cork and Dublin to Turkey and the company has assessed other markets including Ireland separately.
SunExpress which operates as a joint venture between Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa introduced the temporary charge in response to rising jet fuel costs. It opened a new route to Dalaman yesterday.
Several other major international airlines have introduced or increased fuel surcharges on tickets in recent weeks as jet fuel prices have more than doubled following the escalation of conflict in the Middle East. Carriers including Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways along with European operators such as Air France KLM and Lufthansa have begun passing on the sharply higher operating costs to passengers through additional charges or fare adjustments. Jet fuel prices which stood at around 85-90 us dollars per barrel before the recent tensions surged to between 150-200 us dollars per barrel prompting swift action across the industry.
The disruptions to oil supply routes particularly through the Strait of Hormuz combined with airspace restrictions have compounded the pressure on aviation fuel availability and costs. Many airlines that previously relied on hedging strategies now face significant unhedged exposure as existing contracts expire. Air France and KLM for instance have added a fifty euro supplement to long haul ticket prices while Cathay Pacific has raised its fuel surcharges by up to thirty five per cent on various routes with further reviews planned every two weeks. Similar measures have been announced by carriers in Asia and the Pacific such as Qantas, Air New Zealand and Air India which has implemented a phased rollout of surcharges on both domestic and international services.
In Ireland travellers booking flights through Gulf hubs or on long haul routes to Asia and beyond are already seeing the impact with economy fares rising by between five and twenty per cent depending on the destination and carrier. Emirates has applied variable fuel surcharges estimated at between €50-€150 per ticket on affected sectors while Etihad and Qatar Airways have introduced comparable adjustments to offset the extra fuel burn from longer rerouted flights. Low cost carriers and regional operators have also warned of temporary price uplifts or capacity reductions to manage the elevated expenses.
Wilie Walsh director general of IATA noted that fuel typically accounts for 20-50pc of an airline’s operating costs depending on the model and the current spike combined with longer detours around closed airspace is squeezing margins and threatening profitability. Passengers are advised to check ticket conditions carefully as many surcharges apply to new bookings or changes made after specific dates in March and April 2026. Flexible fares or travel insurance that covers price increases may offer some protection but last minute bookings are likely to incur the highest additional costs.
Industry bodies have called for calm while monitoring the situation emphasising that the surcharges are a direct response to exceptional market conditions rather than opportunistic pricing. Should regional tensions ease and oil supplies stabilise the extra charges could be reviewed or reduced but for now travellers planning journeys in the coming months should budget for higher airfares. The developments have also contributed to broader concerns about summer holiday costs with operators across Europe preparing customers for potential further adjustments if fuel volatility persists.
