Impact of Middle East Conflict: This Japanese Airline Raises Fuel Surcharge Up to Twice as Much

The conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran is having a major impact on international aviation. For instance, Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon Airways (ANA) anticipate raising their fuel surcharges by up to double the current rates starting from June 2026.

According to the Japan Times on Friday (3/4/2026), these fuel surcharges are additional fees added to flight tickets to help cover the escalating fuel costs.

The surcharges, deducted from passenger fares, will vary depending on market fuel prices and the flight routes taken.

These fees are calculated based on the average price of kerosene traded in the Singapore market over the past two months.

Additionally, the fuel surcharge rates will be influenced by the exchange rate of the Japanese yen against the US dollar for that month.

Based on data from February and March, the fuel surcharge for June bookings is estimated at 55,000 yen for ANA and 50,000 yen for JAL on flights from Japan to regions such as Europe, America, and Oceania.

This represents double the previous rates of 31,900 yen and 29,000 yen at each airline, respectively.

Not only for long-haul flights, JAL and ANA are also imposing fuel surcharges for short-haul routes of 14,300 yen at ANA and 12,400 yen at JAL for flights to East Asia, such as China and Taiwan.

However, some other Japanese airlines, such as Zipair and Jetstar, are still applying normal prices without fuel surcharges.

That said, there is a possibility that in the future, ticket prices for all Japanese airlines will experience gradual increases.

This is not limited to Japan; several international airlines have also raised their fuel surcharges.

For example, Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific has increased its surcharge for flights between Japan and the US from 72.90 US dollars to 149.20 US dollars as of 18 March 2026.

Furthermore, South Korean airline Korean Air will significantly adjust its fuel surcharge for international routes.

For long-haul routes such as Incheon-New York and Chicago, the surcharge will rise by up to 200 percent, while routes to London and Paris will see increases of around 250 percent.