Virgin Atlantic has introduced a new carbon surcharge on all UK flights.
Passengers booking economy tickets will pay an additional £8, whilst those in Premium will face a £12 charge.
Upper-class travellers will see a £24 surcharge added to their fares.
The airline says these new fees represent less than one per cent of the average ticket price.
The new surcharge will see customers pay upwards of £8 more for their flight
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The environmental levy comes as the carrier prepares to meet new mandated requirements for sustainable aviation fuel usage.
The surcharge is also part of Virgin Atlantic’s strategy to meet its Net Zero 2050 commitments and comply with the UK SAF Mandate.
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is produced from sustainable sources such as used cooking oil and agricultural waste and produces approximately 70 per cent less carbon than traditional jet fuel but comes at a significantly higher production cost.
Virgin Atlantic’s chief executive, Shai Weiss, spoke to The Telegraph and confirmed the surcharge will help cover the increasing costs associated with sustainable fuel implementation.
Weiss said: “Prices will have to go up to account for the fact that flying with SAF in greater and greater volumes is materially more expensive.”
The Virgin Atlantic CEO explained that surcharges were chosen over general price increases to maintain transparency with customers.
“If you do it, you need to do it transparently in the form of something consumers understand,” said the CEO.
This approach follows similar moves in the aviation industry, with German carrier Lufthansa recently announcing SAF fees of up to $77 per flight for 2025.
Lufthansa has been forced into a similar move
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Virgin Atlantic did state that it cannot manage these increasing costs alone and is calling for support from the Government, investors and oil companies.
The surcharge is also being introduced to meet CORSIA offset costs.
British Airways has also indicated it may increase prices to accommodate SAF costs, though it hasn’t confirmed whether it will implement a specific levy.
Holidaymakers were given good news they have recently been “protected” despite a new “flight tax”.
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