Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson said flight price rises were being driven by “foolish leaders” starting wars, in a thinly veiled reference to the US-Israel conflict with Iran, according to BBC. He said the Iran conflict was “completely unnecessary” and argued it had pushed up oil prices and inflation.

Virgin Atlantic added a fuel surcharge to ticket prices in May after Middle East tensions choked the production and transportation of millions of barrels of oil, lifting car and jet fuel costs. The European benchmark jet fuel price rose from about $800 a tonne to more than $1,800 in April before easing to around $1,450. Virgin Atlantic chief executive Corneel Koster said fuel surcharges were “absolutely required” at current prices, and the airline expects to fly 95% of its regular schedule. Virgin Atlantic also said it had won a contract to fly Team GB and ParalympicsGB to Los Angeles for the 2028 Summer Olympics.