Six airlines have announced cancellations and reductions in flights to and from the UK amid a significant rise in jet fuel costs and fears of shortages. The BBC reports that these carriers, which serve the UK, are operating fewer flights as the conflict in Iran disrupts fuel supplies.
EU Warns of 'Very Serious Crisis'
The European Union has issued a warning that Europe faces a "very serious crisis" as aviation fuel supplies dwindle. Dan Jorgensen, the EU energy commissioner, told Sky News: "Unfortunately, it's very likely that many people's holidays will be affected, either by flight cancellations or very, very expensive tickets. Even if we do everything we can do, if the jet fuel is not there, then it's not there."
Jorgensen added: "Currently it is primarily a crisis of prices and not yet a crisis of supply, but unfortunately we cannot be sure to prevent a crisis of supply, especially on jet fuel in the future, if the crisis continues."
Airlines Affected
Airlines that serve the UK and plan to operate fewer flights include:
- KLM
- Air Canada
- Asiana Airlines
- Delta Airlines
- Lufthansa
- SAS
The following companies have said they do not plan to change their schedules:
- British Airways owner IAG
- EasyJet
- Jet2
- Holidays
Flight Prices
While some airlines have cut back on the number of flights to save money, others have said they will start charging more per passenger or will increase charges for luggage. These include:
- Air France-KLM
- Indigo
- Pakistan International Airlines
- Thai Airways
- Turkish Airlines-Sun Express
- Virgin Atlantic
Rory Boland, travel editor at consumer publication Which?, says overall cancellations will be a very small proportion of the millions of flights in and out of the UK, and the changes will be targeted on routes where there are multiple flights a day so that passengers can be rebooked on to an earlier or later flight. Low-cost Spanish regional airline Volotea has come under fire for saying it will add a surcharge to tickets it has already sold and is being challenged by local consumer rights groups.
Impact on Tui
Holiday giant Tui said the Iran war cost it around 40 million euros (£34.8 million) last month after it was forced to repatriate thousands of holidaymakers and staff. Europe's largest travel operator cut its profit forecast and suspended revenue guidance as a result, sending its shares lower. The company is among travel firms to have been significantly disrupted by the conflict in the Middle East, which began at the end of February. It is also among airline firms to face pressure from a surge in jet fuel prices after the conflict pushed up the price of oil.
On Wednesday, Tui told shareholders that it had to absorb 40 million euros worth of costs in March due to "repatriation efforts and related operational disruptions." Following the start of the war, Tui repatriated around 5,000 passengers from two cruise ships anchored in ports in Abu Dhabi.
A lot of the industry's jet fuel supplies come from the Gulf region, and most of it passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which has effectively been closed to shipping since the start of March.
