Cathay Pacific increasing fuel surcharges from August 2026

Well, that was short-lived.

Earlier this month, Cathay Pacific made its third successive reduction in fuel surcharges, bringing them to their lowest levels since the start of the Middle East conflict — though still about 70% higher than pre-conflict levels.

Unfortunately, with oil prices climbing again — who could have seen that coming? — Cathay Pacific has announced a 40% increase in fuel surcharges, which comes into effect from 1 August 2026. This basically takes us back to levels last seen on 16 May 2026, so make your bookings soon if you want to lock in the current prices.

Cathay Pacific increasing fuel surcharges from 1 August 2026

Cathay Pacific will raise its fuel surcharges by roughly 40% for all commercial and award tickets booked from 1 August 2026 onwards.

Remember: the booking date is what matters, not the actual travel date. Fuel surcharges are locked in at the time you book your ticket, so you won’t have to pay a top-up should jet fuel prices subsequently increase (and you also won’t get a refund if they subsequently decline, unless of course you cancel and rebook).

Cathay Pacific fuel surcharges are the same across all cabin classes, and are applied by sector. For example:

• a round-trip ticket between Singapore and Hong Kong currently has US$61.80 of fuel surcharges (2x US$30.90), which will increase to US$87 (2x US$43.50) for bookings made from 1 August 2026
• a round-trip ticket between Singapore and San Francisco via Hong Kong currently has US$309.20 of fuel surcharges (2x [US$30.90+ US$123.70]), which will increase to US$436.20 (2x [US$43.50 + US$174.60]) for bookings made from 1 August 2026

For context, Cathay Pacific first started hiking fuel surcharges on 18 March. These peaked on 1 April, before gradually declining in the weeks that followed — until now. The revised fuel surcharges match the ones we saw in the period from 16 May to 30 June, and are the second highest rates that customers have been subject to since the conflict began.

To put that into more concrete terms, here’s a summary of how much you can expect to pay for fuel surcharges for one-way Cathay Pacific flights originating from Singapore (to see the round-trip cost, simply multiply the surcharges by two).

Fuel surcharges are in addition to the usual airport taxes and fees, which currently amount to S$65.20 for a flight departing from Changi Airport, and will increase to S$79.20 by 2030. 

If it’s any consolation, the sustainable aviation fuel levy has been delayed until at least October 2026 — the last thing we need right now is another junk fee!

What can I redeem with Asia Miles?

Cathay Pacific last devalued the Asia Miles programme in May 2026, which saw modest increases of 1,000 to 4,000 Asia Miles for selected awards.

Here are the revised award charts for Cathay Pacific and oneworld partner flights. 

In terms of redemption opportunities, Asia Miles offers cheaper awards than KrisFlyer to the following destinations.

However, you shouldn’t just compare the mileage figures. You’ll need to factor in the fuel surcharges on Cathay Pacific, as well as the additional time and airport taxes added by the transit in Hong Kong, where Europe flights are concerned.

Cathay Pacific offering Asia Miles transfer bonus

Register Here

This isn’t really the best time to be redeeming Asia Miles, but here’s a reminder that from 25 June to 31 July 2026, Cathay members will receive an uncapped 10% bonus when they convert credit card points to Asia Miles.

Registration is required, and can be done via this link. The offer is valid for Cathay members with a residential address in Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia.

If you plan to convert credit card points from a programme that does not offer instant crediting, do remember that your conversion must be completed by 31 July 2026 to be eligible for the bonus. Miles that are credited after this date will be ineligible for the bonus, even if the conversion was triggered during the promotional period. 

The full details of this promotion can be found in the post below.

Cathay Pacific offering 10% bonus for credit card points transfers to Asia Miles

Conclusion

Cathay Pacific has announced a 40% increase in fuel surcharges from 1 August 2026 as oil prices rise again, reversing a run of three successive cuts.

As to how long this madness continues, your guess is as good as mine. I’m personally holding off booking any Cathay Pacific awards until we’re closer to pre-conflict levels, though if you need to travel soon, you might have little choice but to bite the bullet.