Sri Lanka, April 22 -- The war in the Middle East has helped to trigger a surge in air fares, with the lowest-priced economy tickets costing 24% more on average than they did a year ago, according to new research.

The report, from the consultancy Teneo, says that airspace restrictions caused by the conflict have forced airlines to reroute many flights, increasing the amount of fuel they have to use.

Additionally, disruption to oil supplies has pushed up the cost of fuel itself.

There has also been a significant loss of capacity on long-haul routes normally served by Gulf carriers, which have had their operations heavily disrupted.

Although rival airlines have expanded their operations to some long-haul destinations, there are still fe...