South Africans are paying more to fly this month after the country’s biggest airline, FlySafair, hiked fuel surcharges on the back of global jet fuel price increases.
Despite some reprieve at the start of July, global oil prices have been creeping upwards again, affecting all fuel types, including aviation fuel.
In response, airlines have once again been forced to increase fuel surcharges on tickets to remain sustainable.
FlySafair first announced the surcharges in March, when Jet A1 Fuel prices at South African coastal airports jumped approximately 70% in the week after the conflict in the Middle East erupted.
At the time, the airline’s Chief Marketing Officer, Kirby Gordon, explained that the measure is something FlySafair has resisted throughout its history, but could no longer avoid.
FlySafair absorbed the rapid increases at the start of the crisis, but said it could not sustain it without threatening the long-term viability of affordable air travel in South Africa.
“The persistence and scale of these fuel costs have left us with no reasonable alternative,” explained Gordon.
The surcharge was implemented as a temporary solution and was meant to be in effect only between 12 March and 12 May 2026, but has since been extended, with no end to the US-Iran conflict in sight.
In a bid to shield its passengers, the airline implemented surcharges by route, in line with flight length, to reflect the actual fuel consumption required per journey.
“Our teams are modelling fuel prices airport by airport and reviewing potential tankering strategies to ensure the surcharge reflects the minimum required amount,” Gordon added.
“This is not a profit mechanism; rather it’s a measure to maintain service continuity while being upfront with customers.”
FlySafair is not the only airline adjusting its prices, as Japan Airlines, ANA and several European carriers apply fuel surcharges tied to benchmark jet fuel prices or long-haul cost structures.
According to the airline, other South African airlines have also adjusted fares in response to the crisis.
How much more you need to pay to fly in South Africa
According to FlySafair’s fuel surcharge tracking page, short routes carry surcharges of around R200 per flight, on top of ticket prices, while long-haul flights can incur surcharges as high as R750.
While this is a significant decrease from the levels seen earlier in the year, these surcharges remain in place and are between R20 and R100 more than they were last month.
Below is a list of the surcharges applied to each route operated by FlySafair:
| Route | Previous surcharge (21 July 2026) | Current surcharge | Change |
| Nelspruit (MQP) – Johannesburg (JNB) | R164.45 | R190.90 | R26.45 |
| Cape Town (CPT) – George (GRJ) | R171.35 | R198.95 | R27.60 |
| Bloemfontein (BFN) – Johannesburg (JNB) | R178.25 | R207.00 | R28.75 |
| Johannesburg (JNB) – Durban (DUR) | R207.00 | R240.35 | R33.35 |
| Durban (DUR) – East London (ELS) | R213.90 | R248.40 | R34.50 |
| Lanseria (HLA) – Durban (DUR) | R213.90 | R248.40 | R34.50 |
| Cape Town (CPT) – Gqeberha (PLZ) | R235.75 | R272.55 | R36.80 |
| Gqeberha (PLZ) – Durban (DUR) | R242.65 | R281.75 | R39.10 |
| East London (ELS) – Johannesburg (JNB) | R264.50 | R305.90 | R41.40 |
| Johannesburg (JNB) – Victoria Falls (VFA) | R267.00 | R309.00 | R42.00 |
| Johannesburg (JNB) – Harare (HRE) | R273.00 | R317.00 | R44.00 |
| Cape Town (CPT) – East London (ELS) | R278.30 | R323.15 | R44.85 |
| East London (ELS) – Lanseria (HLA) | R278.30 | R323.15 | R44.85 |
| Cape Town (CPT) – Bloemfontein (BFN) | R285.20 | R331.20 | R46.00 |
| Gqeberha (PLZ) – Johannesburg (JNB) | R285.20 | R331.20 | R46.00 |
| Gqeberha (PLZ) – Lanseria (HLA) | R307.05 | R355.35 | R48.30 |
| Cape Town (CPT) – Windhoek (WDH) | R317.00 | R367.00 | R50.00 |
| George (GRJ) – Johannesburg (JNB) | R328.90 | R380.65 | R51.75 |
| George (GRJ) – Lanseria (HLA) | R356.50 | R414.00 | R57.50 |
| Cape Town (CPT) – Lanseria (HLA) | R371.45 | R430.10 | R58.65 |
| Cape Town (CPT) – Johannesburg (JNB) | R374.90 | R434.70 | R59.80 |
| Cape Town (CPT) – Durban (DUR) | R378.35 | R438.15 | R59.80 |
| Cape Town (CPT) – Hoedspruit (HDS) | R449.65 | R520.95 | R71.30 |
| Cape Town (CPT) – Nelspruit (MQP) | R449.65 | R520.95 | R71.30 |
| Johannesburg (JNB) – Zanzibar (ZNZ) | R552.00 | R640.00 | R88.00 |
| Johannesburg (JNB) – Mauritius (MRU) | R652.00 | R756.00 | R104.00 |
According to FlySafair’s dynamic surcharge page, the lowest surcharges have been applied on flights between Johannesburg and Nelspruit, and Cape Town and George.
By contrast, the flights with the highest surcharges right now are between Johannesburg and the holiday destinations Zanzibar and Mauritius.
Below is a look at how these surcharges have fluctuated since FlySafair implemented them:
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