Emirates to raise ticket prices

MANILA, Philippines - Emirates, one of the world’s fastest growing airlines with operations in the Philippines, is raising its ticket prices by imposing higher fuel surcharge amid the rising price of jet fuel in the world market.

The Dubai-based airline has filed before the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) a petition for authority to impose upward adjustment of fuel surcharge on international passenger tickets.

Emirates intends to raise the fuel surcharge on one-way economy class tickets bound for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Middle East by $10 to $172 from $162 and the one-way business class tickets to the same destination by $40 to $375 from $335.

The airline also plans to raise the price of one-way economy class tickets to Western Asia and Indian Ocean as well as Africa and Europe by $10 to $187 from $177 and the one-way business class tickets to the same destination by $40 to $405 from $365.

On the other hand, one-way economy class tickets to the Americas would also cost $15 more to $197 from $182 while business class tickets would cost $40 more to $415 from $375.

The CAB allows airlines to impose fuel surcharge on international and domestic passengers as a temporary relief to help them recover losses arising from the increase in jet fuel prices in the world market.

Latest results of the Jet Fuel Price Monitor of the International Air Transportation Association (IATA) showed that jet fuel average price rose 2.4 percent to $121.5 per barrel compared to the previous month and is nearing the full year projection of $123.1 per barrel.

Emirates flies to Dubai three times a day via the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila.

Last May 1, Emirates ended direct flights to Dubai from the Clark International Airport in Pampanga barely seven months after it was launched due to low load factor and the controversial excise tax imposed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) on jet fuel used for international flights.

The airline launched direct flights between Clark and Dubai last Oct. 1 using Boeing 777 with 42 Business Class flatbed seats and 216 Economic Class seats.

Emirates was the second airline that suspended its operations at the Clark International Airport after Philippines AirAsia – a unit of AirAsia Berhad of Malaysia – ended its operations in the former US military naval base last year.

AirAsia suspended domestic and international flights via the Clark International Airport and transferred to NAIA in Manila last October after buying into Zest Airways Inc. of Ambassador Alfredo Yao, resulting to the establishment of the AirAsia Zest brand.