Malaysia Airlines, Firefly And Batik Air Raise Fuel Surcharges — Here’s How Much More You’ll Pay

Surcharges on some routes have doubled, and on Japan-Malaysia flights, the increase hits 150 per cent.

Fernando Fong

Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter, or Telegram and WhatsApp channels for the latest stories and updates.

If you have been putting off booking that flight to Japan, Korea or Australia, it just got more expensive to wait.

Earlier this week, Malaysia Airlines, its regional subsidiary Firefly, and Batik Air each issued notices to travel agents announcing increases to their fuel surcharges — the fee airlines add on top of base fares to offset the cost of jet fuel.

All three notices landed on the same day.

The increases took effect on 11 March for most routes, with Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Philippines following on 25 March.

The news spread largely through social media, including a Threads post that warned Malaysia Airlines flights to Japan would soon carry a surcharge of close to RM500.

That post was shared over 1,000 times.

View on Threads

How Much More Are We Talking?

Batik Air was the only carrier to publish specific figures in its trade notice, giving the clearest picture of what the increases actually look like.

Route	Old Surcharge	New Surcharge	Increase
Malaysia Domestic	MYR 30	MYR 50	+67%
Malaysia to ASEAN	MYR 50	MYR 80	+60%
Malaysia to Japan / Korea / HK	MYR 50	MYR 90	+80%
Malaysia to Australia	MYR 50	MYR 100	+100%
Japan to Malaysia	JPY 1,400	JPY 3,500	+150%
Korea to Malaysia	KRW 14,500	KRW 33,000	+127%
China to Malaysia	CNY 78	CNY 160	+105%
India to Malaysia	INR 1,000	INR 1,635	+64%

Meanwhile, Malaysia Airlines has separately issued a Japan-market notice indicating a surcharge of JPY 15,500 (approximately USD 97, or roughly RM380 one way) applicable from April 1 on tickets issued in Japan through 31 May.

Round trip, that surcharge alone approaches RM760, before the base fare or taxes are factored in.

Malaysia Airlines and Firefly did not publish equivalent figures in their trade notices.

Why Is This Happening?

The airlines cite rising global fuel prices — a response to geopolitical tensions, including ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, that have disrupted energy supply chains and pushed jet fuel costs higher.

Fuel typically accounts for 20 to 30 per cent of an airline’s operating costs, making it one of the most significant variables in ticket pricing.

The fuel surcharge mechanism exists precisely for this reason: rather than repricing every fare every time fuel moves, airlines adjust the surcharge periodically to reflect current costs.

Fuel surcharges are only one part of the equation as industry analysts warn that overall ticket prices could rise by 5 to 10 per cent or more as airlines look to recover higher operational costs across the board.

If base fares follow the surcharges upward, the total cost of flying — fare plus surcharge plus airport taxes — could look meaningfully different by mid-2026 compared to the start of the year.

The concern for the industry is whether higher prices will start to dent demand. Rising airfares have historically caused some travellers — particularly leisure passengers — to delay trips, shorten itineraries or reconsider destinations altogether.

What You Need To Know Before You Book

The new surcharges apply to tickets issued on or after the effective dates — existing bookings are not affected.

11 March onwards — new surcharges apply to most routes across all three airlines
25 March onwards — higher surcharges kick in for Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Philippines (Malaysia Airlines and Batik Air); Philippines routes for Firefly
1 April onwards — Malaysia Airlines Japan-issued tickets carry an additional surcharge of JPY 15,500 (approximately USD 71) per ticket, valid for tickets issued through May 31

The bottom line: if you are planning to fly to any of these destinations and have not yet booked, every week you wait is a week the surcharge is already working against you.