FLYING on Singapore Airlines or subsidiary SilkAir is going to cost more.

Fuel surcharges are going up from Monday - the second increase this year. On regional routes, passengers will pay US$70 (S$95) for a round-trip ticket, or US$10 more than before.

For long-haul flights to the United States and Canada, the surcharge will be US$300, which is a US$40 increase.

Everyone else will pay US$190 for a round-trip flight, an increase of US$30.

The last time surcharges went up was in March.

The culprit is stubbornly high jet fuel prices which have hit over US$140 a barrel, SIA said in a statement yesterday.

It stressed, as always, that the higher fuel surcharges will only partially offset the airline's higher operating costs.

Over the years, the industry has done much to cut fuel consumption and costs.

Measures adopted include investing in new fuel-efficient planes like the Airbus 380 superjumbo and the Boeing 787, and re-looking flight paths so that aircraft can fly more efficiently.