Travellers warned over increasing airfares as Virgin Australia announces flight price hikes

Virgin Australia says it will increase airfares as rising fuel prices and broader industry costs put pressure on the airline.

A Virgin spokesperson said the situation in the Middle East has significantly driven up fuel costs, forcing the airline to make “necessary fare adjustments”.

Fuel prices have roughly doubled in the past month, with aviation fuel now one of the airlines biggest expenses.

The airline told The Nightly that cost pressures across the board are continuing to rise.

“Costs across the aviation sector continue to rise, now significantly exacerbated by the situation in the Middle East. We are making necessary fare adjustments to reflect these cost pressures.”

Despite the increases, Virgin says it remains committed to keeping fares as affordable as possible while responding to a volatile operating environment.

It comes just one week after Qantas made the same decision, hiking airfares on its international routes.

The national carrier said while it does not operate any flights to the Middle East and that services to and from Europe are continuing to operate as scheduled, volatile jet fuel prices are driving the group’s costs higher.

“We are continuing to closely monitor the impact the conflict in the Middle East is having on the volatility in jet fuel prices, which have risen by up to 150 per cent over the past fortnight,” Qantas said in a statement.