Dutch airline KLM has announced it will not resume flights to several Middle Eastern destinations until at least mid-July, extending previous suspensions due to the ongoing conflict involving Iran.
The carrier, part of the Air France-KLM group, confirmed on Tuesday that services to and from Dubai are now suspended until at least 2 August. Flights to Riyadh and Dammam will remain grounded until at least 12 July. These routes have been suspended since 1 March, with the airline citing the war in Iran and subsequent regional attacks as the reason.
KLM had previously indicated that services would not resume before 28 June. In April, the airline cancelled more than 150 European flights due to rising jet fuel costs amid the conflict between the US, Israel and Iran. The airline stated that 80 return flights out of Amsterdam's Schiphol airport over April and May were “currently no longer financially viable to operate” due to rising kerosene costs.
Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), warned travellers to brace for higher air fares as airlines can no longer absorb escalating costs from disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. He told the BBC: “There may be some instances where airlines will discount to stimulate some traffic flow… but over time it’s inevitable that the high price of oil will be reflected in higher ticket prices.”
Data from aviation analytics firm Cirium shows that airlines dramatically escalated flight cancellations in May, with 296 departures from UK airports cancelled, representing 0.75 per cent of total scheduled flights. However, the outlook for summer appears more stable, with week-on-week schedule reductions for June limited to 48 fewer outbound flights, July seeing a reduction of 31 flights, and August showing a minimal decrease of just four flights.
