The new president of budget airline Swoop says the spike in jet fuel prices will have to be passed on to passengers – at least in part – even as competition ramps up among discount carriers.

Bob Cummings, named president of the WestJet Group’s ultra-low-cost subsidiary last week, said in an interview Monday that budget carriers aim to minimize the impact of labour and fuel costs on airfares, but that market forces always leave a mark.

Fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including sanctions and oil import bans, helped push up the price of jet fuel by 129% year over year to nearly US$153 per barrel by April 8, according to the International Air Transport Association.

National Bank analyst Cameron Doerksen says fuel costs amount to a major headwind for airlines in the coming quarters.

Cummings, who returns to Swoop after a three-and-a-half-year stint away from the company, nonetheless expects bookings to surpass pre-pandemic levels this summer.

Other factors include rapid domestic expansions in the ultra low-cost sector, including by rivals Flair Airlines and the upstart Lynx Air, and ongoing COVID-19 testing requirements by the United States.