A 22 per cent rise in airfares from the UK between April and May has helped increase the rate of inflation, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.
The jump in the price of flights helped increase the annual consumer prices index (CPI) to 2.7 per cent in May, compared to 2.4 per cent in April.
Airfares rose at their fastest rate since comparable records began in 2001. The 22 per cent increase compares to a 1.4 per cent rise in fares for the same period in 2012.
“Average air fares rose this year by more than a year ago, with upward contributions coming from European and long-haul flights and, to a lesser extent, domestic flights,” said the ONS in its inflation report.
Overall transport costs rose by 0.4 per cent between April and May mainly due to the higher price of flights – this compares with a fall of 0.8 per cent for the same months in 2012.