More than 100 flights from UK airports cancelled this month as June sees reduction
Cancellations coincide with the final week of May, a peak holiday period for many schools' half-term breaks
Kass
More than 100 flights departing from UK airports have been cancelled this month, new figures show, as surging jet fuel prices spark fears of shortages.
Aviation analytics firm Cirium reported 120 of the 22,613 scheduled May departures from British airports, or 0.53 per cent, have been axed. For June, 36 fewer outbound flights are now planned compared to a week ago, a 0.2 per cent reduction removing 7,972 seats.
These cancellations coincide with the final week of May, a peak holiday period for many schools' half-term breaks. Worldwide, 13,005 flights planned for May were cancelled between 10 and 21 April, a 1.5 per cent reduction removing 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 insisted “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.
But on Sunday, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said summer holiday plans will not face major disruption because of the latter.
She revealed that more fuel has been imported from America, while refineries have upped their production.
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.
