Air travelers in the Philippines face sharply higher ticket prices for the first half of August after the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) raised the allowable flight fuel surcharge to Level 13 from Level 8, the Philippine News Agency (PNA) reported.

Under Level 13, the fuel surcharge for domestic flights ranges from PHP423 to PHP1,237, while international flights will see surcharges of PHP1,396.74 to PHP10,385.42, depending on distance, according to the report.

By comparison, the Level 8 surcharge applied for July 16-31 ranged from PHP253 to PHP787 for domestic flights and PHP835.05 to PHP6,208.98 for international routes.

The fuel surcharge is an additional fee airlines may collect on top of the base fare to offset costs from oil price volatility. The CAB has been implementing a 15-day price monitoring and adjustment cycle for the surcharge to help manage the impact of fuel price fluctuations on air travel costs.

In a statement issued Tuesday, AirAsia Philippines said rising global jet fuel prices continue to impact its operations significantly.

"We continue to find ways to keep travel as accessible as possible without compromising the safety and reliability of flights," the low-cost carrier said.

AirAsia Philippines added that under the Level 13 surcharge, passengers across its network could expect fees ranging from PHP1,237 to PHP10,385.82, depending on the destination.

The CAB said the applicable exchange rate for computing the fuel surcharges is PHP61.65 per US dollar.

Source: PNA