The chief executive of Lufthansa has issued a stark warning that some airports are already facing jet fuel shortages, raising concerns that fans travelling to North America for the World Cup could face significant disruptions. Carsten Spohr revealed that one of the airline's aircraft flying to Cape Town was unable to refuel upon landing last week, forcing it to divert 900 miles north to Namibia to fill up before returning to South Africa.
Lufthansa prepares for refuelling stops
Spohr disclosed that Lufthansa is now drawing up contingency plans to include scheduled refuelling stops on flights to Africa and Asia if fuel shortages become more widespread. 'If you cannot reach your target airport with the fuel that you've got, then you have to do refuelling stops — we are not there yet, but we are preparing for this,' he said.
Fuel prices have surged following US-Israeli strikes on Iran, which disrupted traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, triggering the worst crisis for airlines since the Covid-19 pandemic. The conflict now appears to have reached a stalemate, with Donald Trump cancelling his 'Project Freedom' initiative to help vessels leave the strait after just one day, following requests from 'mediator Pakistan and other countries'.
Flight cuts and supply concerns
Lufthansa has already reduced its summer timetable by 20,000 short-haul flights and is grounding older aircraft. Goldman Sachs has described jet fuel supplies as having fallen to 'critically low levels', fuelling fears that World Cup travellers could face price hikes and uncertainty. Francois-Joseph Schichan, head of Flint Global's Geopolitics practice, told City AM: 'Whilst the routes to North America are most profitable for airlines and therefore least likely to be cancelled, the uncertainty for fans planning to attend the World Cup in the US, Mexico or Canada, particularly for a short trip, might put at least some of them off from travelling.'
The threat of higher fares is another blow for fans already facing what has been described as the 'most expensive World Cup in history'. FIFA is charging supporters up to $10,990 (£8,333) for the final at MetLife Stadium on 19 July. Hotel prices in host cities have risen by as much as 300 per cent, while a train from New York to the stadium in New Jersey costs $150 (£110), up from the usual $12.90 (£9.50).
Global airline capacity slashed
Globally, airlines have cut two million seats from May's schedules within the past two weeks. The total number of seats across all carriers this month fell from 132,619,704 in mid-April to 130,674,864 in late April, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. The number of flights dropped by more than 13,000 over the same period — from 859,167 to 846,162 — with Gulf airlines such as Qatar, Etihad, and Emirates hit hardest by war-related airspace closures, airport disruption, and rising fuel costs.
Paul Charles from travel consultancy The PC Agency warned that the situation could worsen, with up to 10 per cent of flights at risk in June if supplies continue to be squeezed. 'Airlines are now being forced to cut flights and make difficult decisions ahead of the peak season. It is better for them to cancel flights well in advance so that passengers are less inconvenienced than a last-minute change of plan. As the Iran conflict continues, there will need to be many more cancellations as the jet fuel supply is squeezed,' he said.
UK government action and criticism
In the UK, the government has introduced a temporary rule change allowing airlines to group passengers from different flights onto fewer planes to save fuel. This could see passengers moved from their originally booked service to a similar one to reduce wasted fuel from flying planes that are not sold out. However, consumer group Which? criticised the move, stating that rules should not be 'bent in favour of airlines'.
The Prime Minister warned last week that Britons may need to change their summer holiday plans due to the jet fuel crisis. Sir Keir Starmer said people might rethink 'where they go on holiday this year' if the war continues to impact airlines. His intervention went further than the government's current messaging, which states there is 'no current need to change upcoming travel plans'.
A UK Government spokesperson said: 'UK airlines are clear that they are not currently seeing a shortage of jet fuel. Aviation fuel is typically bought in advance and airports and suppliers keep stocks of bunkered fuel to support their resilience. We continue to work with fuel suppliers, airports, airlines and international counterparts to keep flights operating. We are also consulting on measures to help airlines plan realistic flight schedules which will avoid last-minute disruption and protect holidays.'
Global implications and cancellations
Cirium data also revealed that airlines have axed 120 of the 22,613 departures initially scheduled from UK airports in May, equivalent to 0.53 per cent. The number of outbound flights planned for June is 36 down on one week ago — a 0.2 per cent drop as capacity for the month falls by 7,972 seats. The average global jet fuel price increased for the first time in a month last week to $181 (£134) per barrel, according to International Air Transport Association data. This 1 per cent week-on-week rise followed three consecutive weeks of decline after a peak of $209 (£155) at the start of April, up from $99 (£73) at the end of February.
Goldman Sachs warned that Britain is particularly vulnerable to jet fuel shortages amid a rationing risk as supplies could fall to 'critically low levels'. The cancellation of Project Freedom by Donald Trump is said to have followed a backlash from Saudi Arabia, which was blindsided by the plan and denied permission for US military aircraft to use Prince Sultan Airbase or enter Saudi airspace for the operation. Other Gulf allies were also caught off guard, with a Middle Eastern diplomat telling NBC News that the US did not coordinate with Oman until after the announcement. Qatar was informed after the project had already begun, with the emir urging de-escalation.
Mr Trump had launched Project Freedom on Sunday to wrest control of the Strait of Hormuz from Iran, which had effectively closed the waterway after the US and Israel started the conflict on February 28. He said he paused the initiative in response to requests from Pakistan and other nations, while citing progress on an agreement with Tehran as a factor.
