Air travel will become more expensive again in August after the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) increased the airline fuel surcharge to Level 13, allowing carriers to pass on sharply higher fuel costs to passengers on domestic and international flights.

In an advisory issued Tuesday, the CAB said the higher passenger and cargo fuel surcharge will apply to flights departing 1 to 15 August under its interim 15-day pricing cycle.

The increase is a sharp reversal from July, when the regulator cut the surcharge to Level 9 and later Level 8 as jet fuel prices eased.

Under Level 13, airlines may collect P423 to P1,237 in fuel surcharges per passenger for one-way domestic flights, up from P253 to P787 under Level 8.

For international flights, the surcharge increases to P1,396.74 to P10,385.42 per passenger, depending on the destination, from P835.05 to P6,208.98 previously.

Airlines intending to impose the surcharge must first secure CAB approval and may charge rates only up to the prescribed Level 13 ceiling.

The CAB also set the applicable exchange rate for fuel surcharges collected in foreign currency at P61.65 per US dollar.

Data from the Department of Energy reported the country’s jet fuel inventory remained ample, with stocks sufficient to last 77.12 days as of 24 July.