The Civil Aviation Department (CAD) of the Hong Kong special administration region said Thursday it has given approval to three airlines to raise the upper limits of passenger fuel surcharges for the period from May 1 to May 31, 2011.

The new maximum levels of fuel surcharges will be HK$222 ($28.51) for short-haul flights and HK$1,030 for long-haul flights, which represent an increase of 14 percent and 17 percent respectively from the current levels.

The three airline companies are All Nippon Airways, Cathy Pacific Airways and Singapore Airways.

According to a CAD release, the applicable surcharge levels are based on the ticket issue date.

CAD regularly reviews passenger fuel surcharges and makes adjustments to fee standards so as to help airlines to partially recover cost increase due to fluctuation in aviation fuel prices.

The last review by the department was done at the end of March when the maximum surcharge levels approved by the CAD were 194 HK dollars for short-haul flights and 884 HK dollars for long-haul flights.