Airline hopes it’s only temporary, remains committed to giving guests best value

SEPANG, 5 March 2022 – AirAsia Malaysia (flight code AK) will be reintroducing fuel surcharges beginning 8 March 2022 for all its domestic and international flights. The reintroduction of the fuel surcharge by AirAsia is to offset the escalating jet fuel prices, which has exceeded US$120 per barrel.

AirAsia has not been charging fuel surcharges since it was abolished in 2015. The airline has instead been absorbing the oil price increase over the years, while other carriers were already adjusting fares and increasing fuel and admin charges to counter rising operating costs as early as 2018.

AirAsia Malaysia Fuel Surcharge rates effective 8 March 2022:

The fuel surcharges will be applicable for new flight bookings made on and after 8 March 2022. All bookings made prior to 8 March 2022 will not be affected.

AirAsia Malaysia CEO Riad Asmat said: “Airlines the worldover are affected by the rising oil prices and the continuous upward spiral caused by the situation in Eastern Europe and other external factors have made it imperative for us to reintroduce the fuel surcharge, despite our best efforts to resist it for as long as we could. 

“Since we last abolished fuel surcharges in 2015 when the global fuel price was as low as US$48 a barrel, we have faced numerous occasions when the fluctuations have caused other airlines to start imposing surcharges. However, at AirAsia, we have been absorbing past increases in oil prices to continue to provide the best value to our guests. Unfortunately, the current situation where the oil price has shot up more than 160% than what it was in 2015 has made it no longer sustainable. 

“We hope this will only be a temporary measure. AirAsia will continue to ensure our fares remain as low as possible despite the fuel surcharge while other carriers were already adjusting fares and increasing fuel and admin charges to counter rising operating costs as early as 2018. Even when faced with the devastating Covid-19 pandemic, we still managed to deflect the rising operational costs and continued to offer low fares to the people.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and at the same time capitalise on technological and digital innovations as ways to keep costs at bay and make air travel affordable for everyone.”

For the record, AirAsia has twice removed its fuel surcharge in the past. It first introduced fuel surcharge in 2005 and abolished it in 2008, and later reintroduced it in 2011. In 2015 the jet fuel price was at its high of US$78 per barrel but AirAsia decided to immediately remove the fuel surcharge as soon as the price went down to around US$48 per barrel that year.