HANOI, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- Some Vietnamese airlines, including national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines and budget carrier Vietjet Air, have asked for permission to raise their air fares amid increasing jet fuel prices, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam on Monday.
Domestic carriers said jet fuel prices this month surged 33.5 percent against last August. Vietnam Airlines said fuel cost accounts for some 30 percent of its operating expenses, even 38 percent at peak time.
Vietnam Airlines made after-tax profits of more than 1.5 trillion Vietnamese dong (65.2 million U.S. dollars) in the first half of this year, posting a year-on-year surge of 83 percent.
Vietnam's aviation industry served 28.9 million passengers in the first seven months of this year, up 14.6 percent on-year, and transported 205,700 tons of cargoes, up 14.1 percent, said the country's General Statistics Office.
