Airlines have ramped up flight cancellations for May, driven by elevated jet fuel prices and supply concerns, according to fresh data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.
As of Tuesday, carriers have scrapped 296 departures from UK airports this month, representing 0.75% of all scheduled flights. This marks a sharp increase from 120 cancellations recorded just six days earlier.
Summer Schedule Reductions Remain Limited
Despite the recent uptick, figures for the peak summer months indicate that week-on-week schedule cuts are currently modest. For June, the number of outbound flights planned is 48 fewer than a week ago, following 0.2% of flights being cancelled. July sees a reduction of 31 flights week-on-week, while August's figure stands at just four.
Airlines can avoid compensation liabilities if they cancel a flight at least two weeks in advance, allowing them to postpone decisions on summer cancellations while still evading payouts.
Jet Fuel Costs Double Amid Middle East Tensions
The price of jet fuel has more than doubled since the onset of the Middle East conflict, with Iran continuing to exert control over tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. This has prompted several airlines to trim their schedules.
In Europe, Lufthansa's airline group announced in April it would cancel 20,000 flights over the next six months to conserve fuel. KLM and Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) have also faced disruptions.
Last week, British Airways' parent company IAG warned that profits would be impacted, expecting to spend approximately two billion euros (£1.72 billion) more than planned on fuel this year. Chief Executive Luis Gallego stated that IAG does not anticipate "any interruption for the summer" regarding jet fuel supplies.
Government Measures to Mitigate Disruption
Earlier this month, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander assured that summer holiday plans would not face major disruption due to shortages. She revealed that additional fuel imports from America have been secured, and UK refineries have boosted production.
The government has also introduced a temporary regulation change, permitting airlines to consolidate passengers from different flights onto fewer aircraft to save fuel.
