British Airways today joined rival carrier Virgin Atlantic in reducing passenger fuel surcharges.

Virgin announced last night that it was cutting charges for its economy and premium economy passengers from midnight tonight.

British Airways passengers will pay up to £26 less for a return flight when the airline lowers its fuel surcharge, also at midnight tonight.

Airlines have come under pressure to cut the surcharge as the oil price has fallen from a peak of $147 a barrel in July to around $78 today.

Air France, Emirates and Singapore Airlines have also reduced their long-haul fees by an average of £10, while Spanish airline Iberia has cut fares by up to £47.

British Airways, which said earlier this month that it had no plans to cut surcharges, has reduced the charge by £26 to £192 return for its economy World Traveller seats on flights lasting more than nine hours, and by £20 to £136 return on shorter flights. Premium economy passengers will see a £6.50 cut on long haul and a £5 cut on short-haul flights.

For Virgin Atlantic travellers, surcharges for economy passengers on the airline’s shorter sector routes will come down from £156 to £136 return, while economy longer-route charges will dip from £218 to £192 return.

Premium economy charges on shorter routes dip £10 to £166 return and come down £13 to £229 return on longer routes. Charges to upper class passengers stay the same — £196 return for shorter routes and £266 return for long ones.

In 2006, Martin George, then commercial director of BA, announced that the company would reduce its surcharge if the oil price fell. It has cut its surcharge once since then, in January 2007.

BA has been hit by rising oil prices and falling passenger numbers as the consumer slowdown has kept people at home.

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