‘The increase in jet fuel prices can’t help affecting the cost of holiday travel. The latest rise introduced by Koltsovo airport of Yekaterinburg made the average price of a tour go up 20% on average due to the fuel fee becoming more costly. The fuel fee for Europe-bound trips now comes to ?120 to ?140 per person on average, the fee for flights to Turkey has gone up from ?20 to ?140 since April 2008,’ Geografia Travel Agency’s Tourism Director Elena Shubina says.

‘This soaring fuel price has naturally made an impact on travelers’ priorities. They are now choosing destinations which are cheaper to get to in terms of a fuel fee,’ she notes.

The Federal Antimonopoly Service reports jet fuel prices have remained almost the same between January 2006 and November 2007, whereas the increase in prices reached 70% between November 2007 and June 2008. About twenty Russian airports charge more than this country and foreign airports’ jet fuel prices.

Koltsovo airport has launched price increases twice this May, so prices rose from 23,300 RUR per ton on April 30, 2008 to 24,360 RUR on May 1, 2008 to 30,600 RUR per ton on June 21, 2008.