With the decline of the international oil prices, many airlines have reduced their fuel surcharges for international routes, but the fuel surcharge for the Chinese domestic lines still remains unchanged.

The main reason for this situation might be that the domestic oil price has not been connected with the international oil price and the fuel surcharge standard is made by different countries according to their own oil prices. At present, the fuel price in China is maintained around RMB6300 per ton, which is about RMB1000 higher than the international rate.

There are some inconsistencies in pricing even for international lines. For example, for the line between Korea and China, the fuel surcharge for flights departing from Korea has declined from US$25 to US$22, while departing from China still remain at US$40.

Local media also report that some Chinese domestic carriers have confirmed that the fuel surcharge for domestic lines won't decline in the coming few months, though that may change after March 2007.