Taiwan's fuel surcharges hit a 2026 high on 7 Oct while Hong Kong's hold — what the gap is worth

Taiwan's airlines raise fuel surcharges again on 7 October, to their highest level of 2026, while Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong Airlines have just confirmed they are holding their own Hong Kong surcharges where they are. Same jet fuel, two very different bills — and which side of the Strait you buy on now changes what a trip costs.

What actually changed

Taiwan's civil aviation authority moved its surcharge tier on the back of jet fuel rising from US$156.79 to US$177.89 a barrel. For tickets issued from 7 October in Taiwan, EVA Air, China Airlines and others charge US$37.50 per sector on short-haul routes (Hong Kong included) and US$97.50 per sector on long-haul, the fourth increase this year and the third in consecutive months. In Hong Kong, the carriers raised their levels on 1 August and have said they will keep them unchanged from 1 October: HK$339 per sector on Cathay's and HK Express's short-haul routes, HK$1,362 on long-haul.

The long-haul number is the one that bites

Cathay's long-haul surcharge sat at about HK$965 after the 16 July cut we covered earlier this summer. At HK$1,362 it is HK$397 higher per sector, roughly HK$794 on a return — about 41% more than the July low. For a family of four flying to London, that is over HK$3,100 in surcharges you cannot negotiate down, before a single base fare is compared.

Hong Kong versus Taiwan: the arithmetic

Convert Taiwan's US$97.50 at about 7.8 and a long-haul sector is roughly HK$760, against HK$1,362 for a Hong Kong-issued ticket: a gap of about HK$600 per sector, HK$1,200 return. On the short Hong Kong–Taipei hop the gap is small — US$37.50 is about HK$293, versus HK$339 — so a return costs about HK$585 in surcharges from a Taipei-issued ticket and HK$678 from a Hong Kong one, a difference of under HK$100. These are published per-sector levels; base fares, taxes and the origin-based rules of each airline decide what you actually pay, so treat the gap as a pointer, not a promise.

Is it still worth it?

For Taipei, yes, and the surcharge barely moves the answer: about HK$678 on top of a fare is a modest slice of a trip where food and transport remain well below Hong Kong prices. For long-haul, the surcharge is now a real line item, the largest it has been since before July's cuts, and it has been rising for three months in Taiwan. If Europe is on your list, price it two ways: the all-in return fare from Hong Kong, and the same return with a Taiwan-issued or Taipei-origin leg, checking that the airline's fare rules allow it. Where the saving exceeds your extra flight and hotel night — HK$1,200 per person is a useful hurdle — it can be worth doing. Where it doesn't, buy now: the surcharge locks at ticketing, and with jet fuel climbing there is no sign of a cut.

Fuel is only one input into a trip's value. Check how your destination's costs compare with its own history on our methodology page before you book.