More concern for World Cup travellers as consumers pay for rising jet fuel prices

Martin Macdonald

• Updated: 15 Apr 2026 05:22 CDT
• 3 min read

News

Football fans who are looking to go to the World Cup and haven't booked flights yet may want to think twice as the scarcity of jet fuel has seen the price of plane tickets increase dramatically.

The current conflict in the Middle East between the United States and Israel and Iran has meant that oil and fuel prices have increased throughout the world, with some areas of business more impacted than others.

Air travel, naturally, has been severely impacted by the conflict, not only due to fuel prices but also due to unsafe skies, with the Strait of Hormuz remaining blocked.

Unfortunately, the price of plane tickets has increased over the last month so World Cup hopefuls will be expected to shell out evern more money than those who booked up prior to the conflict.

And, Virgin Atlantic CEO Corneel Koster has warned that these prices will likely remain even if the conflict ends.

"We have never seen jet fuel at this level, and airlines cannot sustain those sorts of high costs,' he said in an interview with The Financial Times.

"If the fuel price goes much higher, I think the surcharges may go higher. If they go up in a week and you book in two weeks' time, you'll be paying higher."

He added that there will likely be a fuel surcharge of £50 to economy tickets, £180 to premium and £360 to Upper Class.

The sale of economy seats is set to be impacted the most as those with less money will think twice about even booking plane tickets.

The Daily Mail reports that, over the last month, there has been a slump in purchasing flights that hasn't been seen since the Covid pandemic.

"There is no evidence for fuel shortages in the European Union at present, but supply issues could occur in the near future in particular for jet fuels,' said spokeswoman Anna-Kaisa Itkonen.

"That remains our primary concern."

The United Kingdom receives four million tonnes of jet fuel from Kuwait each year but the country's Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery has come under attack so it's ability to meet demand will be impacted even if the war stops.

Iran and the USA have agreed a two-week ceasefire, but that won't stop the rise of prices.

Former British Airways boss Willie Walsh said at a IATA press conference on Wednesday:

“I expect crude oil prices to reduce but jet prices to remain higher because of the impact on the refineries.”

These hiked up prices won't just impact those hoping to travel to he World Cup, but would-be travellers around the globe.

And, the news of the increased prices comes as World Cup travellers are already up in arms at how much a trip to the tournament is going to cost due to outrageously high ticket prices, hotel room price spikes and journeys to and from stadiums from metropolitan areas costing up to 10 times their usual amount.

A ticket to park your car at some of the World Cup venues is set to be more expensive that a raft of match tickets for the next UEFA European Championships.

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