Hong Kong's government has allowed British Airways, Swiss Inter-national Air Lines, and nine other carriers to raise and extend fees for passengers traveling in and out of the territory to cover surging fuel prices, an official said yesterday.
Hong Kong requires airlines to individually seek government approval if they want to implement fuel surcharges on passenger flights. The 11 airlines had initially been granted permission to impose the fuel levies from June to the end of this month.
Authorities have allowed British Airways to more than double its fuel levy from US$4 to US$10 for all flights. Swiss International and Virgin Atlantic Airways will charge US$19 instead of US$14, said Civil Aviation Department spokeswoman Stella Tse.
Cathay Pacific Airways, Hong Kong's leading carrier, will increase its surcharge from US$5 to US$7 each way for flights within Asia, and from US$14 to US$19 for flights to other destinations, Tse said.
Hong Kong's Dragonair and three mainland China airlines -- Air China, China Eastern and China Southern -- can charge each passenger US$6.92 instead of US$5.40 per flight, regardless of its length.
The other airlines that won approval on Friday to raise levies were EVA Air and China Airlines, both of Taiwan, and Royal Brunei Airlines, which will raise charges from US$5 to US$7.
The increased surcharges will run from the beginning of next month until Nov. 30, Tse said.
On Friday, the government also allowed five other airlines -- Air India, Air New Zealand, Garuda Indonesia, Orient Thai Airlines and Royal Nepal Airlines -- to extend their levies ranging from US$4 to US$14 until the end of November.
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