Airlines have cancelled 120 flights from the United Kingdom this month as jet fuel prices surge and fears of shortages grow, amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Aviation analytics company Cirium reported that airlines have axed 120 of the 22,613 departures initially scheduled from UK airports in May, equivalent to 0.53 per cent of all planned flights.
The number of outbound flights planned for June is now 36 lower than a week ago, representing a 0.2 per cent reduction. This means capacity for the month has fallen by 7,972 seats. The final week of May is a peak period for holidays as it coincides with half-term at many schools.
For all flights globally, 13,005 planned for May were cancelled between April 10 and April 21, equivalent to 1.5 per cent, which reduced capacity by almost two million seats.
Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership, a network of independent travel agents, said airlines are 'assessing poor performance flights and consolidating or cancelling as required'. She added that UK departures to popular summer hotspots 'remain unaffected' and 'customers can continue to book with confidence'.
Paul Charles, founder of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said: '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.'
Lufthansa's airline group announced in April it would cancel 20,000 flights over the following six months to save fuel. Iran continues to have a stranglehold on tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz, leading to a surge in oil prices and concerns of jet fuel shortages.
However, on Sunday (May 3), Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said summer holiday plans will not face major disruption. More fuel has been imported from America, while refineries have upped their production, she said. The UK Government has also introduced a temporary rule change allowing airlines to group passengers from different flights together on to fewer planes to save fuel.
