South Africa’s biggest airline, FlySafair, is adding a fuel surcharge to its ticket prices for the very first time, in hopes of protecting its long-term stability and low-fare offerings.
The surcharge will only be in place temporarily, as the airline hopes it will be a short-term solution to a short-term crisis.
Effective tomorrow, 12 March 2026, tickets for flights departing on or before 12 May 2026 will carry this fuel surcharge, which will be clearly highlighted separately on all tickets.
“We will be specifically itemising this temporary dynamic fuel surcharge on all tickets to ensure fairness and transparency to our customers,” explained Kirby Gordon, Chief Marketing Officer at FlySafair.
Since conflicts erupted in the Middle East on 28 February, the airline has absorbed rising fuel costs, shielding passengers from immediate airfare increases.
Jet A1 fuel prices at South Africa’s coastal airports have risen approximately 70% in just one week, forcing the airline to pass on a portion of the costs.
“The persistence and scale of these fuel costs have left us with no reasonable alternative,” noted Gordon.
The ongoing Middle East conflict has led to the effective shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply is transported.
Tanker traffic along the route is estimated to have dropped between 70 and 80% since the conflict erupted.
Global Brent crude oil price volatility has had a severe impact on aviation fuel prices, influencing FlySafair’s and other airlines’ operating costs.
At current price levels, the airline estimates an additional cost of around R35,000 per flight hour for each Boeing 737-800 aircraft in operation.
The airline noted that it is not the only one adjusting its prices in response to the volatility.
“Airlines worldwide, including Japan Airlines, ANA and several European carriers, apply fuel surcharges tied to benchmark jet fuel prices or long-haul cost structures,” FlySafair noted.
“South African carriers have also begun adjusting fares or signalled that future pricing will reflect the current fuel environment.”
The airline added that it is in constant contact with its suppliers, is monitoring import schedules, and is evaluating all available supply channels.
It’s only temporary
FlySafair remains adamant that the surcharge is only temporary and reiterated that it will maintain transparency throughout the entire process.
As such, the airline highlighted that while the surcharge remains in place on tickets for flights departing before or on 12 May, it will be reviewed frequently based on Jet A1 fuel price movements, and will be removed once conditions improve.
“Instead of increasing fares across the board or hiding costs, we have chosen to introduce a clearly labelled, temporary surcharge,” noted Gordon.
“This gives customers full visibility into what they are paying for and allows us to remove the surcharge once prices stabilise.”
He explained that surcharges may vary based on route length to accurately reflect the fuel consumption required per flight.
“Our teams are modelling fuel prices airport by airport and reviewing potential tankering strategies to ensure the surcharge reflects the minimum required amount,” Gordon said.
“This is not a profit mechanism, it’s a measure to maintain service continuity while being upfront with customers.”
FlySafair committed to publishing exact surcharge amounts on its website today, adding that previously booked ticket fares will remain unchanged and no fuel surcharges will be added retrospectively.
Travellers booking tickets from today, 11 March, will be shown a separate line item on all flights departing on or before the 12 May cut-off, while changed bookings will reflect the same.
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