Skyward to hike ticket prices as jet fuel costs surge

The ripple effects of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East are beginning to hit closer to home, with local airlines weighing fare increases to stay afloat amid rising operating costs.

Skyward Airlines is among the first domestic carriers to signal the shift, as global aviation players respond to surging jet fuel prices.

The airline primarily operates scheduled passenger flights from Nairobi to Mombasa, Lamu, Eldoret, Lodwar, Malindi, Ukunda (Diani), Migori and Vipingo, as well as regional services to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

In a notice issued on Thursday, the airline told customers it would no longer be viable to maintain current ticket prices, announcing an adjustment set to take effect on April 1, 2026.

“We are writing to keep you informed of an upcoming adjustment to our fares. Effective 1st April 2026, a fuel surcharge will be applied to all Skyward Airlines ticket prices,” the notice read in part.

The turbulence in the aviation sector is being driven by the ongoing US-Israeli conflict with Iran, which has disrupted fuel supply chains following Tehran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

The waterway, a key global shipping route that handles roughly 20 per cent of the world’s fuel shipments each year, has become a choke point, triggering a supply shock that has sent jet fuel prices sharply higher.

In some regions, prices have more than doubled, with Europe recording near-record highs and Asian prices up almost 80 per cent since the start of the conflict in late February.

The spike has forced airlines to cut back on flights while steadily raising fares to manage the strain.

Fuel remains one of the aviation industry’s most significant expenses, second only to labour, typically accounting for between a fifth of total operating costs.

Skyward noted that imported fuel forms a substantial share of its expenses per flight, leaving it particularly exposed to global price swings.

The airline said the current conditions had left it with little choice but to take measured steps to safeguard its operations and maintain service reliability.

“We are committed to offering you competitive, transparent pricing and will continue to monitor the situation closely. Should circumstances change, we will keep you updated accordingly,” it said.

The warning from Skyward underscores how the conflict in the Middle East goes far beyond the region, placing airlines under pressure in what is shaping up to be the sector's most pressing challenge since the Covid-19 pandemic.