HIGHER airfares and food prices helped boost inflation last month, official figures showed.
More expensive plane tickets and higher milk and vegetable prices contributed to the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rising to 1.9 per cent in March from 1.6 per cent in February, according to data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
The increase took the CPI inflation rate last month to its highest since May 1998, when it reached 2.1 per cent, the ONS said.
It is also higher than the 1.7 per cent that some analysts were forecasting, but remains lower than the Treasury's two per cent target.
The largest upward effect on the figures - which included Easter this year unlike last year - came from transport, with airfares increasing this March, but falling a year ago.
Another large upward impact came from food, due mainly to price increases this year for milk and also vegetables, where supply shortages were reported for some fresh produce.
Falling wine prices in March and weaker price increases on beer sold in pubs and other licensed outlets than those a year ago partly offset the upward pressure, the ONS said.
Similar factors affected Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation in March, although housing costs had a downward effect, leaving the headline all-items rate unchanged at 3.2 per cent.
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