DStv Channel 403 Wednesday, 25 December 2024

Price of plane tickets goes sky high

JOHANNESBURG - If you think international flights might be cheaper, think again.

The cost of international flights has also rocketed, largely because of fuel price rises triggered by the war in Ukraine.

READ: OPEC+ agrees oil output cut to prop up prices

Aviation analyst Des Latham said in America, 10,000 flights have been cancelled over the last year because of a lack of aircrew and problems with circulating planes.

"In Australia, where I've just come back from, many people have stopped trying to fly from Melbourne to Sydney which is basically an 800km drive and are driving that," he said.

READ: Air tickets set to keep climbing from pandemic low: experts

"The bottom line here is that the business is expensive to run and around the world, there's been a surge in demand of aircrew, of ATC, you name it.

"All the costs, the input costs have rocketed and Russia's invasion of Ukraine hasn't helped matters. That's pushed the oil price so now with Saudi Arabia and Russia et al deciding that they're going to fix the price and drop production, our input costs are going up again in the airline business," he said.

"So around the world, the costs are rising and you just have to plan better."

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