The cost of flying will continue to ease until the end of June after the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) lowered the fuel surcharge included in airfares by a notch to Level 12, coinciding with the easing of jet fuel costs.

The CAB announced on Thursday, June 11, that the new surcharge level would be implemented for the booking period of June 16 to 30.

Under Level 12, passengers may pay an additional ₱389 to ₱1,137 for local flights and between ₱1,284.40 and ₱9,550.13 for international flights, depending on the distance.

This is the lowest level the CAB has issued since the war in the Middle East broke out in late February, with the fuel surcharge peaking at a record Level 19 in the second half of April.

At present, airlines are imposing a fuel surcharge ranging from ₱423 to ₱1,237 for domestic destinations and from ₱1,396.74 to ₱10,385.42 for international routes under Level 13.

For the second half of June, the CAB has set the conversion rate at ₱61.62 per United States dollar for airlines collecting the surcharge in foreign currencies.

The CAB allows airlines to impose and collect a fuel surcharge separate from the basic airfare to help them recover costs and losses due to spikes in fuel prices.

Earlier, the regulator adjusted the monitoring period for the surcharge rate from once a month to every 15 days to provide more flexibility in setting rates based on prevailing jet fuel prices.

Based on the latest monitoring by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the average price of jet fuel declined by 7.2 percent to $146.25 per barrel in the global market as of June 5.

Fuel prices are lower in the Asia and Oceania region at $141.78 per barrel, prompting the CAB to lower the passenger fuel surcharge in the Philippines.

IATA estimates that jet fuel prices will average around $152 per barrel this year, up 70 percent from $90 per barrel last year.

IATA said higher prices would translate into higher fuel costs, which are expected to cost airlines a combined $350 billion compared to $252 billion a year ago.

The industry group expects airlines in the Asia-Pacific region to post a combined net income of $6.6 billion this year, down 33 percent from the $9.8 billion recorded in 2025.

Since carriers in this region rely heavily on crude oil imports from the Middle East, IATA said constraints in fuel supply are resulting in fuel shortages and steeper price increases compared to other regions.

Globally, combined net profit for the year is projected to reach $23 billion, nearly half of the $45 billion generated last year.