Maud Descamps edited by Laura Laplaud 5:49 p.m., March 23, 2022
Russia is losing one of its biggest customers for its hydrocarbons, the French giant TotalEnergies will no longer buy a drop of Russian oil by the end of the year.
A decision that could still shake up the hydrocarbons market and lead to a surge in the price of oil and therefore kerosene.
The French oil group TotalEnergies announced on Tuesday March 22 that it would no longer buy Russian oil by the end of the year, due to the war led by Russia in Ukraine.
A decision that will certainly lead to a surge in the price of oil but also of kerosene, the product used to power aircraft reactors.
Up to 10% off flight tickets
Some companies are already passing on the cost of this increase to the price of plane tickets: between 6 and 10% increase in ticket prices to compensate for the soaring prices of kerosene, which have increased by 20% these days, explains Alain Battisti, the president of the National Federation of aviation and its trades.
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When we know that fuel represents nearly a quarter of the price of a plane ticket, companies can hardly maintain their prices.
The boss of Air Caraïbes, for example, Marc Rochet, increased these tickets by 20 euros.
A rise that comes at the worst time.
"We are coming out of almost two years of health crisis. We left with strong commitments and we were looking forward to a good summer," he says.
The companies are therefore worried.
“We have no visibility over the summer,” explained an expert.
"But we think the price of fuel will stay high," he added.
The aviation sector should not benefit from a boost on kerosene as part of the resilience plan.
Asked by Europe 1, the Minister of Ecology, Barbara Pompili, said she was looking into whether airlines could benefit from other specific aid.