The Shanghai Hongqiao Airport Photo: Chen Xia/GT

Shanghai authorities announced on Tuesday the reopening of local railway stations and gradual resumption of domestic flights from Wednesday. Meanwhile, multiple airlines are increasing their fuel surcharge due to the surging price of aviation fuel.

According to a report by Yicai on Tuesday, multiple Shanghai-based airlines have started to resume domestic flights since middle May. 

China Eastern said it had initiated a special mechanism to resume operations, and Juneyao Air has resumed flights between Shanghai and nine major cities including Changsha in Central China's Hunan Province, Sanya and Haikou in South China's Hainan Province. 

The scheduled flights for Shanghai Hongqiao and Pudong International Airports between June 1 to 15, are 7,716 and 10,317, respectively, as compared to 9,513 and 13,701 flights registered for the same time last year, the report said citing data from flight information site Flight Master. 

However, fuel surcharge for flight tickets will be raised from June 5. Multiple airlines announced on Tuesday they were adding 80 yuan ($12.02) and 140 yuan per ticket for flights within and over 800 kilometers of flight, respectively.

The purchase cost for flight fuel in June 2022 reached 8,441 yuan per ton from 7,860 yuan per ton in May, and the price in January was only 4,700 yuan per ton, the report noted. 

To accelerate the recovery of the stricken domestic aviation sector, 14 government agencies have issued subsidies to help the airlines to cut operational cost. 

Global Times