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Australia’s competition regulator monitoring impact of rising fuel costs on airfares
June 17th 2026
The impact of elevated fuel prices was not reflected in the price of tickets purchased for domestic travel in Australia during March and April, a report shows. Read More » The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) quarterly Domestic Airline Competition Report said the data showed passengers paid less to fly in April, with average revenue per passenger down 3.4% in the month, compared with a 2.3% rise in March. The ACCC report said this largely reflected the fact tickets were purchased earlier, before recent fare increases imposed by local carriers Virgin Australia and Qantas Group’s Qantas Airways and Jetstar. "With many travellers booking well in advance, particularly around holidays and major events, the latest data does not fully show the effect of higher airfares," ACCC commissioner, Anna Brakey, said. "We expect this to become clearer over coming months and will continue to monitor the impact on consumers and the broader aviation sector." Brakey said higher jet fuel prices had led to significant changes in how airlines operated, including moves to reduce or suspend services and increase fares on some routes.
