In a move to cope up with the impending challenges to survive, Malaysia Airlines has raised the fuel surcharges on its international flights by up to 80 percent. The airline has also warned that across the globe, a fare increase is an unavoidable exercise to prevent the industry from collapsing.

According to the airline, it has decided to increase the surcharge by about 25 percent on its short-haul regional flights, and by up to 80 percent on its long-haul flights, with immediate effect. However, on domestic flights, the fuel surcharges remain the same.

For instance, the surcharge for a one-way Kuala Lumpur-London flight goes up to MYR736 ringgit (USD$225.70) from MYR600. Similarly, for a one-way Kuala Lumpur-Sydney trip, it has gone up to MYR608 from MYR422.

Managing Director Idris Jala noted, "The revisions were done on a route-by-route basis to ensure we remain competitive. As these adjustments only partially cover the increase of the fuel price, we will continue to monitor this closely for future revisions, depending on fuel price variations."

Notably, the oil price went up to a record high rate of nearly USD$142 a barrel on Friday. Around the world, airlines are facing the heat of fuel cost rise that accounts for a huge share of their total costs. Alarmingly, over the last six months alone, more than 24 airlines have gone bankrupt. Over and above, several carriers like Delta, Northwest, Air Canada and United Airlines report heavy loses.