All Nippon Airways Co. and Japan Airlines Co. will scrap fuel surcharges for their international flights from April to reflect the plummeting cost of jet fuel.
The last time the two airlines removed surcharges was in September 2009.
Travel agencies welcome the move as the number of Japanese traveling overseas has been shrinking.
“It will be a great boost for reviving the overseas travel market,” said a spokesperson for leading travel operator JTB Corp.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the majority of the international airlines offering services to and from Japan are also expected to drop the fuel surcharges from April.
Airlines collect surcharges to cover the extra fuel cost when crude oil prices increase. Fuel surcharges became the international norm in recent years.
ANA and JAL impose a 14,000-yen ($119) surcharge for the round trip to North America and Europe, and 600 yen for a round trip to South Korea. The surcharge was progressively reduced after crude oil prices started falling in October 2014.
The two companies said the removal of fuel surcharges will apply to flights purchased in Japan in April and May.
According to Japan National Tourism Organization figures, 16.21 million Japanese went overseas last year, down by 4.1 percent from a year earlier.
Source and image: Asahi
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