Fuel costs push air fares higher for summer

Travellers preparing to fly off for summer holidays will probably be boarding planes with less excess weight in the wallet.

Air fares are increasing along with fuel prices for the peak season, as travel agents say ticket costs are up by between 10 and 15 per cent from last summer.

"For people who take their summer holidays and go back to their home countries, the pricing is something which has an impact," said Tarique Khatri, the senior vice president of business development in the UAE for the travel website Cleartrip.

"But they need to go there, so you end up having a lot of customers who pay a high price."

Economy fares to London for the end of next month are approaching peaks of close to Dh6,000 on Emirates airline, boosted in part by the Olympics.

And Etihad Airways is charging fares starting from Dh8,460 on certain dates for an economy return flight to New York at the end of June.

There is expected to be a surge in travel out of the region next month because of the timing of Ramadan, which is in July.