The cost of flying out of the Philippines is set to ease in the first half of July after aviation regulators trimmed the fuel surcharge airlines may add to ticket prices, bringing it to its lowest point in months.
The Civil Aeronautics Board fixed the surcharge at Level 9 for the July 1 to 15 period, according to an advisory issued June 26. The move marks the regulator’s second straight reduction, following an earlier cut from Level 13 to Level 12 covering the latter half of June.
Long-haul international travelers will feel the steepest charges under the new schedule. Passengers bound for North America, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands face higher add-ons, while those taking shorter routes to Hong Kong, Taiwan and Vietnam will pay a floor of P947.30. Across all international services, the permitted surcharge now runs from P947.30 to P7,044.27, down from the Level 12 band of P1,284.40 to P9,550.13.
Domestic passengers see similar relief. The allowable charge falls to between P287 and P839, compared with the P389 to P1,137 range that applied under Level 12.
The downward trend traces to softening jet fuel costs. The International Air Transport Association reported a global average of $119.17 per barrel as of June 19, easing from $138.86 the previous week. The Asia and Oceania region, which covers the Philippines, recorded a lower figure of $115.72 per barrel.
For carriers billing in foreign currency, the regulator pegged the conversion rate at P60.99 to the US dollar for the two-week window.
The current Level 9 setting sits well below the peak reached earlier in the year, when the surcharge climbed to Level 19 in the second half of April. At that stage, domestic travelers absorbed as much as P1,834 and international passengers up to P15,397.15. By contrast, the pre-surge Level 4 rate had capped domestic charges at P117 to P342 and international charges at P385.70 to P2,867.82.
Surcharge levels are now reassessed every 15 days against prevailing jet fuel prices, a shift from the previous monthly schedule.
