Airlines cut 13,000 flights in May as jet fuel prices soar

Airlines have cut 13,000 flights globally in May as jet fuel prices soar due to the conflict in the Middle East.

In total, nearly two million seats have been removed from flights scheduledfor May, according to aviation analysts Cirium.

The cancellations affect around 1% of global flights, with the data showing Munich and Istanbul as among the worst-hit destinations.

The trade body for British airlines said they were operating as normal and not currently facing supply issues, but welcomed the government's contingency plans which will prevent them from losing take-off and landing slots if they cancel flights.

The cuts come ahead of the UK half-term holidays at the end of the month.

UK flights to "key summer sun destinations" are unaffected, according to the travel agents' trade body Advantage Travel Partnership.

Chief executive Julia Lo Bue-Said said "airlines will be assessing poor performance flights and consolidating or cancelling as required".

Jet fuel prices have more than doubled since the beginning of the war — one tonne was trading at $831 in late February, and by early April, it hit a high of $1,838.

But the cancellations are, overall, "marginal", and "UK departures, including key summer sun destinations, remain unaffected, so customers can continue to book with confidence", Bue-Said said.

Cirium said that 120 scheduled flights out of the UK had been cancelled for May, or 0.53%.

Airlines cancel 2% of flights the day before departure under normal circumstances, according to consumer group Which?.

Airlines have said they are not currently experiencing fuel supply problems, but experts have warned that disruption to deliveries because of the Iran war could bring shortages within weeks.

Many airlines have already pushed up ticket prices. Air France, KLM, Air Canada, Delta and SAS have already trimmed their summer schedules.

The German group Lufthansa said earlier this month it would remove 20,000 flights between now and the end of October.

Its finance chief said that while fuel supplies were secured until June, contingency plans could include adding refuelling stops on some longer routes if planes cannot be refuelled at the destination.

However, budget carriers Wizz Air and easyJet have said they do not expect to cancel flights.

Wizz Air's chief executive has said that some European flight prices were falling as airlines try to attract hesitant customers.

In mid-April, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), which advises 32 member governments on energy supply and security,warned that Europe had Europe would face jet fuel shortages by June unless more can be secured from elsewhere.

In the UK, the government is preparing a number of concessions. These include allowing airlines to cancel flights at busy airports like Heathrow well in advance, without the risk of losing valuable take-off and landing slots.

At the weekend, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was confident most people travelling this summer would have a similar experience to last year.

Alexander said there was currently no disruption to the supply of jet fuel, but "this clearly is an evolving situation".

The government has also introduced a temporary rule change allowing airlines to group passengers from different flights together on to fewer planes to save fuel.

Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel said package holidays offered greater protection as operators have legal obligations to their customers if their plans are disrupted.

He added: "The percentage of flights cancelled from the UK remains small, when you consider that the worst airlines cancel over 2% of flights less than a day before departure, even in normal times.

The UK imports about 65% of the jet fuel it uses, a significant portion of which comes from the Middle East under normal circumstances.

But the closure of the Strait of Hormuz – a key route for oil and liquefied natural gas – means those supplies cannot get through.