(Yicai) Aug. 1 -- Chinese airlines have increased their fuel surcharges for the first time this year amid rebounding oil prices and tourism recovery.

Several travel agencies, including Qunar.Com, have today boosted the extra charge for short and long flights, Yicai learned. From Aug. 5, trips of 800 kilometers or less will come with a fee of CNY30 (USD4.20) per passenger, up by CNY10. For longer trips, the charge will be CNY60, rising by CNY30.

The return to higher fees is linked to fluctuations in international oil prices. In the first half, Chinese airlines reduced their fuel surcharges three times due to declining oil prices. Early this year, the fees had been as high as CNY60 and CNY120 (USD8.40 and USD16.70).

The trend of oil prices is upward. Crude oil futures listed on the New York Mercantile Exchange, based on West Texas Intermediate, closed at USD81.80 per barrel yesterday, up by nearly 16 percent in July.

Meanwhile, China's aviation market has finally overcome the lull of the Covid-19 pandemic. From July 1 to 23, airlines operated 17,190 flights per day, a bit more than during the same period in 2019, according to official data. They transported 2.1 million passengers, up by 9 percent.

Domestic flights are expected to remain expensive as bookings for the summer holiday period of Aug. 2 to Aug. 20, tickets are predicted to cost between CNY900 and CNY1,100 (USD126 to USD153), online travel platform Tongcheng Travel wrote in a report earlier.

Editors: Lv Yining, Emmi Laine