Cost of domestic flights reach two year high, some routes more than double

We finally have the freedom — and confidence — to travel, but now the cost is plane ridiculous. Here’s what triggered the blowout.

We finally have the freedom — and confidence — to travel, but now the cost is plane ridiculous.

New official figures show domestic airfares have shot up by a third in just the past month to be the most expensive since 2020, mainly because of Russian president Vladimir Putin.

And Western Australia’s premier Mark McGowan.

Data from the federal government’s Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE) shows a 32 per cent jump in March compared to February for the cheapest tickets.

They haven’t been this high since December 2020.

According to the BITRE numbers, the least costly return flight between Sydney and the Sunshine Coast in March was $279 — that’s more than double what it was in February.

The lowest fares from Sydney to the Gold Coast and back also increased by more than 100 per cent, from $90 to $190.

The cheapest Cairns tickets were nearly twice as expensive in March, at $418 versus $228 in February.

The news is little better on the international front.

Return economy seats to Auckland at Easter will set you back a minimum of $1860, Skyscanner data shows; fares to Bali are about the same.

The BITRE does not track international airfares from and to Australia.

A major factor behind soaring ticket prices is a blowout in the cost of aviation fuel caused by bans on Russian oil following the invasion of Ukraine.

The International Air Transport Association’s Asia and Oceania jet fuel price index is up 110 per cent on a year ago; fuel can be as much as a third of the expense of operating a flight.

The only positive in the IATA data is that the jet fuel price surge appears to have peaked, with costs slightly down on last week.

International and domestic airfares have both undergone astronomical hikes due to a lack of supply of aviation fuel. Picture: Saeed Khan/AFP

Former Qantas chief economist now UNSW academic Tony Webber said airlines had to recover some of their increased fuel bills.

Mr Webber said another cause of higher fares was the “very strong” rebound in demand, versus limited supply.

He said the trigger for the jump in demand had been the comments of Mr McGowan.

“When the Premier of WA came out and said ‘let it all hang out’, that’s when a lot of confidence returned,” Mr Webber said.

“He was the stubborn one.”

Also, Mr Webber said, more people were looking to travel due to their growing confidence in the general strength of the economy.