HONG KONG - The Civil Aviation Department ( CAD) of the Hong Kong Special Administration Region Government said Wednesday it has given approval to three airlines to raise the upper limits of passenger fuel surcharges for the period from January 1 to January 31, 2012.

The new maximum levels of fuel surcharges will be 226 HK dollars (around $29) for short-haul flights and 1,075 HK dollars for long-haul flights, which represent an increase of 8 percent and 7 percent respectively from the current levels.

The three airline companies are All Nippon Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways and Singapore Airways.

According to a CAD release, the applicable surcharge levels are based on the ticket issue date.

The CAD regularly reviews passenger fuel surcharges and makes adjustments to fee standards so as to help airlines to partially recover cost increases due to fluctuation in aviation fuel prices.

The last review by the department was done at the end of November when the maximum surcharge levels approved by the CAD remained at 210 HK dollars for short-haul flights and 1,008 HK dollars for long-haul flights. (One US dollar equals 7.78 HK dollars)