Holidays are about to get MORE expensive: International airlines cut back on flights because of rising fuel prices The number of seats on international flights to and from Australia will fall Drop is the first in a decade by one per cent from late October to late March Consultant Tony Webber said less competition means prices are set to riseBy Charlie Moore For Daily Mail Australia Published: 06:09 BST, 23 May 2019 | Updated: 06:09 BST, 23 May 2019 Viewcomments International airfares are set to increase as carriers cut back their flights due to rising fuel prices. The number of seats on international flights to and from Australia will fall for the first time in a decade by one per cent from late October to late March. Fuel prices have risen 45 per cent in the past two years, making long-haul flights less viable. International airfares are set to increase as carriers cut back their flights due to rising fuel prices As a result, several companies are making cut backs to Australian services. Emirates has reduced its Dubai-Perth service to run seven times weekly instead of 11. As of next week, it will no longer run its daily Dubai-Bangkok-Sydney flight. Meanwhile, Cathay Pacific is cancelling its Cairns-Hong Kong service. Air China and China Eastern are also cutting back, while Virgin has chopped its Sydney-Auckland service from 18 return flights weekly to 15 from July. Tony Webber, a consultant from Airline Intelligence and Research, told The Age that the news is great for Qantas which will be able to increase its market share. 'Other carriers are being more rational now, which is really good news for Qantas and Virgin,' he said. But he warned that price rises are bound to follow with less competition. 'There will definitely be higher fares,' he warned. The number of seats on international flights to and from Australia will fall for the first time in a decade by one per cent from late October to late March Read more: Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility