Civil aviation authorities in Hong Kong announced on Monday they have given approval for 13 airlines to keep or adjust their passenger fuel surcharges, with most airlines expected to raise the surcharges by over 30 percent.

Surcharges for most of the short haul flights will rise from 125 HK dollars (16 U.S. dollars) per passenger to 171 HK dollars ( 21.92 U.S. dollars), while those for long haul flights will rise from 518 HK dollars (66.4 U.S. dollars) to 710 HK dollars (91 U.S. dollars), the Civil Aviation Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government said.

The department said it approved the adjustment applications after considering changes in aviation fuel prices, the airline operators' justifications, and other factors including the average charges levied by other airlines.

The surcharges remain reasonable after the adjustments, with short-haul and long-haul surcharges at about 41 percent and 68 percent of the average international levels respectively, the department said in a press release.

(Xinhua News Agency May 27, 2008)