Malaysia Airlines will increase a fuel surcharge on international flights and impose a levy on domestic flights for the first time from May 1 due to higher oil prices, a minister said today.

The surcharge for long haul international flights will be raised from RM50 to RM76 while regional flights will see an increase from RM15 to RM38, Transport Minister Chan Kong Choy told the national Bernama news agency.

Passengers would now also have to fork out an extra RM15 for flights between peninsular Malaysia and the eastern states of Sabah and Sarawak, and RM7.50 for flights within the peninsula, he said.

Malaysia Airlines first imposed a fuel levy on international and regional flights in June last year.