Cathay Pacific and its sister carrier Dragonair will levy a fuel surcharge on travellers entering Hong Kong from September 15.
The carrier has updated its fuel surcharge website. A HK$109 (US$14) surcharge will be applied to most inbound flights from Southwest Pacific, North America, Europe, Middle East, Africa and South Asia (with the exception of The Philippines, which is exempt).
Meanwhile, the surcharge on flights between New York and Vancouver is set at HK$24.
The surcharge is applicable only to inbound travellers. Those flying out of Hong Kong will continue to benefit from the Civil Aviation Department’s ruling back in February that all fuel surcharges were to be suspended on outbound flights.
However, outbound passengers will still be subject to the Hong Kong’s Airport Construction Fee (ACF) that ranges from HK$70 to HK$180. The ACF is collected to fund the “Three Runway System” project.
In a statement to the South China Morning Post the carrier defended the move: “The decision to reintroduce the fuel surcharge overseas follows the practice currently adopted by other airlines”.
However many have pointed out that the decision follows the announcement that the company’s profits took a major hit during the first half of 2016. In particular, the Oneworld carrier continues to suffer from fuel hedging losses, which amounted to HK$4.49 billion.
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