Australians face 50% hike in air fares to fly to Europe this year, data suggests

Australians looking to escape winter and fly to Europe for a summer holiday are facing fares almost 50% higher than the same period last year as airlines keep prices high despite the supply of available seats and fuel prices improving in recent months.

The average price for a return economy air fare from Australian cities to European destinations such as London, Paris and Milan for travel between the beginning of June and end of September has grown to $2,571, according to data compiled by booking site Kayak.com.au from searches made since early January up to last week.

The figures mark a 46% increase on average air fares for the European summer in 2022, and are 63% above comparable pre-pandemic fares.

Soaring air fares are more pronounced in certain months. Return economy tickets between Australia and Europe in June are averaging $2,841.

Across the June to September period, Frankfurt is the cheapest European city to fly to, with an average return fare of $2,371, while Lisbon is the most expensive with an average return ticket at $2,963, according to the Kayak booking data.

David Beirman, a senior lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney specialising in tourism, said the considerable increase in fares since 2022 should not come as a surprise.

While airlines have made significant ground in piecing back together a workforce that was decimated during the pandemic, attracting either experienced workers or people from outside the industry back to aviation has come at a high cost.

Elsegood also pointed out surging inflation, not just in Australia but also in Europe, which means airlines are having to spend more on a wide range of inputs for their service.

He said that traditionally business seat travellers were worth between six to eight times more to airlines than each economy passenger.