Chinese airlines to link surcharges to fuel costs

BEIJING, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Chinese airlines will set their own fuel surcharges in future based on their cost of fuel, China's top planning body, the National Development and Reform Commission, said on Thursday.

Previously the NDRC had set a unified standard for the surcharges but it said henceforth the airlines would use a formula, in which the only variable was their own fuel costs. The formula also uses an index which will be updated regularly, with the next update in April 2010.

The airlines must adjust their surcharges within five days of the jet fuel cost change, the NDRC said. (Reporting by Eadie Chen and Tom Miles; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)