Passengers are facing a double blow of more cancelled flights and higher travel costs as airlines grapple with the jet fuel crisis. The soaring fuel prices, driven by the war on Iran and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz, have forced carriers worldwide to scrap routes and introduce extra charges.
New figures from aviation analytics firm Cirium show that cancellations from UK airports have risen sharply. As of Tuesday, 296 departures were axed this month, representing 0.75 per cent of the total, up from 120 cancellations just six days earlier. By cancelling flights with at least two weeks’ notice, airlines can avoid compensation liability, allowing them to delay summer decisions and bypass payouts.
Several airlines have reduced schedules, while others have hiked fares and baggage fees. One UK carrier, Ascend Airways, which mainly operated from London Gatwick and Stansted, has shut down completely. It cancelled all flights and pulled its entire fleet from operation last week, citing rising jet fuel costs amid global shortages caused by the Iran war. It will soon hand over its UK Air Operator’s Certificate.
Spirit Airlines collapsed overnight on Saturday, May 2, after failing to secure a $500m bailout. The discount airline was emerging from its second bankruptcy filing before the war on Iran, but the surge in jet fuel costs pushed it over the edge. Spirit cancelled all flights, halted customer service, and instructed travellers not to come to the airport. Customers were issued refunds and rebooked with other airlines.
Lufthansa has shut down its subsidiary CityLine due to 'significantly increased kerosene prices' following the Iran war crisis. The German carrier said it would permanently remove 27 aircraft used by its regional operation, cutting 20,000 short-haul flights from its summer schedule. Lufthansa is also reducing its long-haul schedule, withdrawing four older A340-600 aircraft and cutting short and medium-haul offerings by five aircraft this winter.
Greek airline Aegean has announced it will raise ticket prices by around 7 to 8 per cent due to the fuel crisis, although existing bookings and early-bird packages will be unaffected. Meanwhile, Aer Lingus has dropped over 500 flights from its schedule, claiming mandatory maintenance rather than fuel issues, but has made price adjustments to long-haul tickets, raising return economy fares by €50 per round trip and short and medium-haul by €10.
