The biggest airline in South Africa, FlySafair, has lowered ticket prices on the back of improving jet fuel prices.
This is the second time the airline has slashed its prices since its initial decision to add a temporary fuel surcharge to all tickets purchased after 12 March 2026.
At the time, FlySafair Chief Marketing Officer Kirby Gordon explained that the fuel surcharge was a temporary measure to protect the airline’s long-term low-cost offerings.
As a result of the ongoing conflict surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, jet fuel prices rose sharply alongside all petroleum products originating in the Middle East.
Initially, the airline absorbed rising fuel costs, shielding passengers from immediate airfare increases, but was forced to implement the temporary surcharge.
“The persistence and scale of these fuel costs have left us with no reasonable alternative,” Kirby noted.
According to FlySafair’s own fuel surcharge tracking page, the additional fare rose from around R170 for flights from Johannesburg to Cape Town in March to over R800 in April, coming down to around R700 last month.
This week, the airline confirmed that the surcharge will be reduced further, with current charges sitting 40% below the peak.
“The move will deliver meaningful savings to South African travellers while maintaining the airline’s commitment to transparent pricing,” it said.
FlySafair added that it was always committed to applying the surcharge transparently, clearly itemising the route-specific fee to reflect actual fuel consumption and reviewing it weekly as market conditions changed.
“In recent weeks, both the availability and cost of Jet A1 fuel have improved. Refining margins for jet fuel have also eased, helping prices fall faster than crude oil movements alone might suggest,” the airline said.
While this week’s change represents the most significant reduction since surcharges were introduced, FlySafair warned that prices may still fluctuate, depending on global conditions.
The airline noted that jet fuel prices are linked to global oil markets and geopolitical developments, necessitating weekly reviews and surcharge adjustments in line with underlying fuel costs.
How much less you’re paying for flights this month
Flying with FlySafair is at least R100 cheaper per ticket this month compared to May, with longer flights to destinations like Zanzibar and Mauritius costing passengers up to R400 less per ticket.
That being said, fuel surcharges still require flyers to part with an extra R200 to R900 per ticket to fly with the airline.
Below is a breakdown of current fuel surcharges applicable of FlySafair tickets compared to the same routes a month earlier.
| Route | Surcharge | Previous (12 May 2026) | Change |
| Nelspruit (MQP) – Johannesburg (JNB) | R215.11 | R319.70 | – R104.59 |
| Cape Town (CPT) – George (GRJ) | R224.46 | R333.50 | – R109.04 |
| Bloemfontein (BFN) – Johannesburg (JNB) | R233.82 | R347.30 | – R113.48 |
| Cape Town (CPT) – Gqeberha (PLZ) | R268.38 | R457.70 | – R189.32 |
| Johannesburg (JNB) – Durban (DUR) | R271.23 | R402.50 | – R131.27 |
| Lanseria (HLA) – Durban (DUR) | R280.58 | R416.30 | – R135.72 |
| Durban (DUR) – East London (ELS) | R280.58 | R416.30 | – R135.72 |
| Gqeberha (PLZ) – Durban (DUR) | R317.99 | R471.50 | – R153.51 |
| East London (ELS) – Johannesburg (JNB) | R346.05 | R512.90 | – R166.85 |
| Johannesburg (JNB) – Victoria Falls (VFA) | R349.71 | R519.00 | – R169.29 |
| Johannesburg (JNB) – Harare (HRE) | R357.84 | R531.00 | – R173.16 |
| Cape Town (CPT) – East London (ELS) | R364.75 | R541.65 | – R176.90 |
| East London (ELS) – Lanseria (HLA) | R364.75 | R541.65 | – R176.90 |
| Cape Town (CPT) – Bloemfontein (BFN) | R374.10 | R555.45 | – R181.35 |
| Gqeberha (PLZ) – Johannesburg (JNB) | R374.10 | R555.45 | – R181.35 |
| Gqeberha (PLZ) – Lanseria (HLA) | R402.16 | R596.85 | – R194.69 |
| George (GRJ) – Johannesburg (JNB) | R430.22 | R638.25 | – R208.03 |
| George (GRJ) – Lanseria (HLA) | R467.63 | R693.45 | – R225.82 |
| Cape Town (CPT) – Windhoek (WDH) | R476.98 | R615.00 | – R138.02 |
| Cape Town (CPT) – Lanseria (HLA) | R486.34 | R721.05 | – R234.71 |
| Cape Town (CPT) – Johannesburg (JNB) | R491.01 | R727.05 | – R236.94 |
| Cape Town (CPT) – Durban (DUR) | R495.69 | R734.85 | – R239.16 |
| Cape Town (CPT) – Hoedspruit (HDS) | R589.21 | R874.00 | – R284.79 |
| Cape Town (CPT) – Nelspruit (MQP) | R589.21 | R874.00 | – R284.79 |
| Johannesburg (JNB) – Zanzibar (ZNZ) | R723.81 | R1,074.00 | – R350.19 |
| Johannesburg (JNB) – Mauritius (MRU) | R853.93 | R1,267.00 | – R413.07 |
While these changes may represent significant savings compared to a month earlier, the current surcharges are still much higher than those initially implemented in March.
Ticket prices for flights between Johannesburg and Nelspruit – FlySafair’s cheapest route – are still R141.51 more than on 12 March, while prices to fly to Mauritius are R559.93 higher.
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