According to statistics from the French Ministry of Environmental Transformation, ticket prices in the country have risen by 23.6% over the past year. According to other estimates, prices for international flights from the UK have risen by 18% compared to 2022. One way or another, but the growth is obvious.
And pent-up travel demand linked to the pandemic, coupled with rising inflation and high fuel costs, is keeping airfare prices high.
Sanctions against Russia have pushed prices even higher. EasyJet calculated that a 70-plus percent rise in oil prices has resulted in the airline's fares rising 31 percent this year. Not surprising, since fuel accounts for just under a third of all carrier costs.
Moreover, experts have noticed a sharp increase in maintenance costs associated with the shortage of certain metals and disrupted supply chains, which also affected prices.
On the other hand, the desire to travel remains so strong that some airports such as like Amsterdam's Schiphol and London's Heathrow have introduced limits on the number of passengers to reduce the effects of staff shortages. The current situation forced the airlines to redraw their schedules.
Another factor. As telecommuting becomes more popular, business travel has dropped significantly — for airlines, this means a lot of empty business class seats and dependence on income from the sale of economy class (which is why it rises in price in the first place).
Airbus and Boeing, in addition, are experiencing difficulties in delivering new aircraft, in resulting in airlines having fewer aircraft than expected.
Most organizations and studies show that airlines are gradually resurrecting as the pandemic comes to an end. However, the cost of staff and airport services, as well as rising fuel prices, will lead to further increases in airfare this year. Flights are forecast to be about 20 percent more expensive during the peak season compared to 2022 levels.
On top of all the developments, the aviation industry will face tougher legislation to cut carbon emissions.