British Airways has introduced increases of up to 26 per cent in fuel surcharges for its highest paying passengers, its second rise for premium flyers in just over a fortnight.

Business class and first-class passengers on longer flights will pay a surcharge of up to £266 for a return ticket — up from £218. Passengers on shorter flights will pay £196, an increase from £155.The rises have come only 16 days after the airline last increased its prices for all travellers. Jet fuel prices have soared as oil prices rose to almost $140 (£72) a barrel.

The latest increase means that BA’s highest paying passengers have seen the surcharge on long-haul airline tickets go up by more than two thirds since the beginning of the month.

Notice of the increases was given to travel agents on Wednesday — one day before the new charges came into effect. However, the airline has risked a possible fine from the stock market regulator, the Financial Services Authority, for failing to tell the City of the fuel surcharge increases in its usual manner.

The FSA rules are that companies need to communicate a 10 per cent impact on profits, either positive or negative. A spokeswoman for BA said: “This is a structural change to our fuel surcharges and we have communicated them directly with our customers, with travel agents and with our corporate customers. In the past, when we have made announcements of fuel surchargeincreases, we have increased the surcharge for all passengers.” The latest increases mean that passengers who travel in BA’s premium economy class, business class and first class cabins will pay far higher fuel surcharges than economy class travellers.

Willie Walsh, chief executive of BA, said: “Recent unprecedented oil price rises are putting pressure on the whole aviation industry. For British Airways, fuel is expected to overtake employee costs this year to become our largest cost.” BA’s fuel bill for the year is expected to rise from just over £2 billion to more than £3 billion. “Therefore we believe it is now appropriate to spread some of this significant additional cost among those passengers travelling in cabins with fewer seats, using more space and benefiting from larger baggage allowances,” Mr Walsh said.

BA, which launched its Openskies subsidiary flying direct from Paris to New York this week, has said that it will cut capacity from October, taking the opportunity to ground some of its oldest least fuel efficient aeroplanes. Premium class traffic is where BA makes most of its profits. In the face of oil prices many analysts have said that the record profits of £883 million in 2007-08 could be wiped out.

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