Flight price rises due to 'foolish leaders' starting wars
Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson blames 'foolish leaders' for the Middle East conflict, which has driven up oil prices and subsequently increased air travel costs. Airlines like Virgin Atlantic have introduced fuel surcharges to manage the impact of these rising costs.
Why it matters
This highlights the direct economic impact of geopolitical instability on consumer costs and corporate operational strategies in the aviation sector.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google Katy Austin , Transport correspondent and Mitchell Labiak , Business reporter Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson has blamed flight price rises on "foolish leaders" starting wars, in a thinly veiled reference to the US-Israel conflict with Iran.
Middle East tensions have choked the production and transportation of millions of barrels of oil, causing a surge in the price of car and jet fuels, which are made from oil.
In May, Virgin Atlantic added a fuel surcharge to ticket prices in response.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly defended the conflict as necessary for peace and security long-term.
However, Sir Richard said there was "no need" for the war.
"The Iran conflict was completely unnecessary. There was a nuclear agreement between Iran and the rest of the world that had been negotiated by President Obama and a lot of European people.
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