Flybe has introduced a fuel surcharge of £3 per passenger for bookings made from today for flights on or after 1 September 2011.
It has promised the surcharge will be removed should the price of Brent crude return to below $75 per barrel for a consecutive period of 28 days.
The airline announced the new charge in a trading statement, which outlined a fall in leisure traffic.
“Whilst 45% of Flybe’s passengers fly on business (and this sector has proved very resilient), the slowdown in consumer retail spending in the UK had an impact on discretionary-spend passenger volumes (ie those travelling for leisure or visiting friends and relatives) in February and March 2011,†said the statement.
Flybe estimated that underlying profit before tax and one-off items for the year ended 31 March 2011 will be around £22 million.
“This result is in line with the board’s expectations for the year and represents a strong performance in view of the challenging economic conditions in the final quarter,†it added.
Looking ahead, it said: “The market in the UK remains challenging and the group is continuing to focus on improving operating efficiency to increase yields whilst maintaining seat capacity at similar levels to the 2010/2011 year.
“At 3 May 2011, forward ticket sales revenue for the summer 2011 season was ahead year-on-year by 5.4%.â€
By Bev Fearis
