The two largest airlines in Switzerland have confirmed that sky-high ticket prices are here to stay, and may even get worse in the future. SWISS and Edelweiss Airways have blamed the cost increases on the price of kerosene, which has doubled in a year.
Alongside price rises for fuel, food and other goods, supply issues related to COVID and the war in Ukraine have caused the price of aviation fuel to double over the last year. This is having a knock-on effect on airlines, who have warned that they will have to pass the rising costs on to consumers.
"Due to the current trend in the price of crude oil, further price increases for air travel are likely this year," a spokesperson for SWISS explained. The international company said that the cheapest tickets will be affected the most, as they are the most reliant on cheaper fuel costs.
Edelweiss noted that airlines and airports in Switzerland are facing a whole host of cost increases in the future, not just fuel. With increasing salaries and more workers, “We therefore assume that flying in the future may cost more than in previous years,” a spokesperson confirmed.
As both Edelweiss and SWISS get two-thirds of their kerosene in advance from their parent company Lufthansa, most of the expected price rises are yet to arrive. However, in the future, both airlines have confirmed that ticket prices will increase significantly.