Major airways cancel 13,000 flights this month amid jet gas disaster
111 flights have been cut from Heathrow’s May schedule as airlines respond to a jet fuel crisis linked to the US-Iran war, sparking fears of further summer disruption
Travellers have been concerned at the possibility for disruption this summer due to the continuing Middle East crisis(Image: Getty Images)
More than 100 flights have vanished from the May timetable at Heathrow Airport as aviation fuel costs surge higher during the continuing US-Iran conflict.
London Heathrow’s schedule has axed 111 flights over concerns that long-term aviation fuel supply issues could trigger additional cancellations this summer.
British carriers were informed at the weekend they might receive greater flexibility to merge flights on busy routes if required.
Two million airline seats have been slashed from May’s timetables as carriers reshape their operations due to rocketing aviation fuel costs during the Middle East crisis, the Guardian reported.
Crude prices have skyrocketed since the beginning of the US-Iran conflict over two months ago, when America and Israel conducted joint attacks on several crucial Iranian locations.
Iran hit back by targeting sites throughout the Middle East and shutting the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping lane, through which 20 per cent of global oil traded passes.
Approximately 13,000 fewer flights will run in May worldwide following recent cancellations, according to figures from aviation analytics firm Cirium, reports the Mirror.
Some of the two million seats have been eliminated by deploying smaller aircraft and complete cancellations.
The largest reduction in flight numbers comes from Istanbul and Munich. Turkish Airlines and Germany’s Lufthansa have implemented massive cuts.
Lufthansa has axed 20,000 short-haul flights, run by its CityLine subsidiary.
Most short-haul airlines operating in the UK are well protected against jet fuel price fluctuations.
This means they don’t anticipate facing immediate cost rises.
Low-cost carriers EasyJet and Wizz Air have pledged to run their summer timetables in their entirety, despite strain on the unprotected element of their fuel costs.
The sector reports it isn’t experiencing any current supply shortfalls, given the typical six weeks’ advance notice of availability, but international bodies have forecast that Europe could face jet fuel shortages if the Middle East conflict continues to disrupt deliveries.
The UK government has indicated that extraordinary steps could be implemented beforehand to prevent last-minute disruption for holidaymakers during the summer period. This encompasses merging timetables on routes where multiple services to identical destinations operated on the same day.
Officials stated that if airlines haven’t sold a substantial proportion of seats, services may also be axed to avoid squandering fuel by operating nearly vacant aircraft.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has indicated there were no “immediate supply issues”, but the government was “preparing now to give families long-term certainty and avoid unnecessary disruption at the departure gate this summer”.
