Major airlines have cancelled thousands of flights, throwing May half-term holidays into chaos and leaving family plans in disarray. According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, two million seats have been scrapped from busy May flight schedules in the past two weeks alone. The affected carriers include British Airways, Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa, and Air France.
Lufthansa Leads European Cuts
Germany's Lufthansa has taken the most aggressive steps in Europe, cutting a total of 20,000 short-haul services. Analysts at Goldman Sachs noted on Monday: "We see large risks of jet fuel shortages in Europe already this summer. The UK appears most at risk of jet fuel rationing given its large net imports."
British Airways Offers Refunds
British Airways, along with Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar, has been running reduced schedules since the start of the conflict in Iran. They are offering extra flexibility to change or cancel bookings to, from, or via the Middle East. As of Tuesday 5 May, BA stated: "If you're booked to travel to or from Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, Tel Aviv, and Riyadh up to and including 31 October 2026, you can now request a full refund, even if your flight is still scheduled to operate."
Air France Extends Flight Bans
On May 4, 2026, Air France said it had been "forced" to prolong a flight ban "due to the security context at the destination and the closure of certain airspaces." Specifically, flights to and from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, will be suspended until May 12, 2026, and to and from Dubai, UAE, until May 20, 2026. Additionally, flights to and from Tel Aviv, Israel, and Beirut, Lebanon, will not restart until May 20, 2026. Since March 1, 2026, Air France has routinely extended flight bans triggered by the war in Iran to these four cities.
Turkish Airlines Suspends 23 Routes
Turkish Airlines has stopped flights to 23 cities, mainly due to rising jet fuel costs and supply issues linked to the Iran war. These suspensions are mostly temporary, with some routes expected to restart in May, June, October, or even March 2027, as per a report by Simpleflying.
Government Assurance on Fuel Supplies
A 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."
Labour Party Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander assured customers their summer holiday plans will not be disrupted due to fuel shortages. She told Sky News: "I've spent every week of the last two months in close contact with airlines and airports. On Thursday of this week, airlines told me very clearly that they have good visibility over the next six to eight weeks of jet fuel supply. There is no current disruption to jet fuel supplies."
