Prices for intercontinental flights are rising as tensions in the Middle East hit the airline industry. Franco-Dutch group Air France-KLM announced it would raise ticket prices due to a sharp rise in the price of jet fuel.
According to the company, the geopolitical situation in the Middle East has caused a sudden and significant increase in fuel costs, especially kerosene. For this reason, tickets for long-haul flights issued from March 11 will have higher prices.
Overall, a round-trip economy class ticket is expected to increase by around 50 euros. The decision follows the same trend as other international airlines, such as SAS, Cathay Pacific, Air India and Qantas, which have already increased prices due to fuel costs.
Fear of drone attacks
Meanwhile, the security situation in the Persian Gulf has also caused unusual aircraft movements. Gulf Air, Bahrain's main carrier, has begun moving part of its fleet out of the country due to Iranian drone attacks.
Two days ago, 21 planes departed from Bahrain International Airport, 12 of which belonged to Gulf Air. Among the departed planes was an Air India plane and several cargo planes, believed to belong to DHL.
According to data from flight tracking platforms such as Flightradar, the planes were seen lined up one after the other heading towards Al-Ula International Airport in northwest Saudi Arabia. Other Gulf Air planes have also been reported at Dammam airport.
Cancelled flights
Bahrain, which hosts several US military bases, is facing heightened security pressure. All 93 flights scheduled for today have been cancelled, with dozens of flights cancelled in previous days.
The crisis is also affecting other airlines. Air New Zealand has warned that it will cancel about 1,100 flights in the next two months, affecting about 44,000 passengers, due to the doubling of fuel prices.
The global aviation industry is thus facing a new wave of fare increases and changes in flight schedules, while tensions in the Gulf region continue to directly affect air transport and energy supply.
