Malaysia Airlines, which has been hit hard by record oil prices, said Friday that it will raise its fuel surcharge for international flights from September 21.

"The steep escalation of jet fuel prices which have hit an all-time high are putting tremendous pressure on airlines worldwide to manage costs," it said in a statement.

"Measures are being taken to mitigate this escalating increase including adjusting the fuel surcharge rates."

The national carrier said it will raise its fuel surcharge to RM122 (US$32.4) from RM106 for travel between Malaysia and Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the Americas, the Middle-East and Africa.

The fuel surcharge for travel between Malaysia and South Asia and Southeast Asia will be raised to RM61 from RM53, except for Singapore which would be increased to RM57.

Surcharges on tickets sold outside Malaysia will also rise, while the surcharge on domestic routes will remain unchanged, it said.

The airline recently announced one of its worst ever quarterly losses at RM280.66 million in the three months to June after a profit of RM26.58 million a year earlier.

Five-year plan

After the results, Malaysia Airlines announced an ambitious five-year plan to boost profits by up to RM1.0 billion, including shaking up its management.

On Thursday the carrier named a senior executive from energy giant Shell, Idris Jala (photo) as its new managing director, ending intense speculation and a row over reports it would hire a foreigner.

Oil prices hit an all-time high of US$70.85 a barrel in Asian trade last week amid concerns of damage to US crude production in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It has since fallen to around US$65 a barrel.