Airlines set to axe two million seats in May in wake of soaring jet fuel costs

Around 13,000 flights are set to be cancelled

As the war in the Middle East continues, the wider impacts of conflict are being felt across the region, notably as we approach the UK half-term school holidays.

Millions of people across the world are set to be affected by the rising cost of jet fuel which has increased enormously in recent months with the Iran war as an excuse for oil companies.

Jet fuel goes sky high

As of recent weeks, Brent crude oil prices have surged, trading around $110 (£80) per barrel, an increase of over 75% since last year.

However, at the same time oil giants like BP have reported huge increases in profits.

Specifically in aviation, jet fuel prices have more than doubled since the start of the war with one tonne trading at $831 (£610) in late February while ,by early April, it hit $1,838 (£1,350).

This increase is having a massive impact on the aviation industry, known for its tight profit margins, especially for low-cost carriers.

In an industry where an olive removed from an in-flight meal or a few percentage points in fuel efficiency can mean millions of pounds, a doubling in fuel costs is serious stuff.

The scores on the plane doors

Data from aviation analytics firm Cirium suggests that globally two millions seats are set to be axed, or 13,000 flights.

While this will undoubtably have an impact on UK travel, the organisation highlighted Istanbul and Munich as key hubs that have seen the most disruption.

How passengers are being affected

Airlines have already pushed up ticket prices, with major flagship carriers such as Air France, KLM, Air Canada, Delta and SAS already slimming down their schedules.

Meanwhile, contingency plans are being worked on to protect airlines' airport slots while some companies look to consolidate multiple daily flights to the same location into less flights.

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

Two weeks ago, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) warned that Europe had "maybe six weeks of jet fuel left".

Despite all this, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has said that she is confident most people travelling this summer would have a similar experience to last year.

Martin Lewis' advice for holidaymakers this summer

Lewis issued a stark warning to those who have snapped up a holiday for this summer, as he has urged to take notes those who have paid for holidays with major companies and airlines.

Those include airlines such as TUI, Jet2, Ryanair, Wizz, easyJet and British Airways.

The Money Saving Expert founder cautioned that those who book a holiday and delay taking out insurance could stand to lose everything should something go wrong in the meantime, as the ongoing situation in the Middle East is raising serious concerns over jet fuel supplies.

Speaking on his Money Show Live on ITV, the expert stressed that you should purchase travel insurance the moment you book a holiday.

“The reason you do that is because half of the cover you're paying for is in case something happens that stops you going before the trip. And if you don't have the travel insurance place, you've got no cover”, he said.

“So, you may as well have it in place. But at this time of year when many people have already booked, I have a slight adaptation, which is this. If you've booked and you don't have it yet, just get it now. Get it done as soon as possible”.

Full list of airlines cancelling flights

Aegean Airlines Greece's national carrier has warned of a 'notable impact' on its first-quarter results following suspended Middle East routes and the fuel price spike.

AirAsia X The Malaysian long-haul budget airline has cut 10% of its flights and slapped roughly a 20% fuel surcharge on ticket prices.

Air Canada Canada's biggest carrier is dropping four of its 38 daily New York flights between 1 June and 25 October 2026.

Air France-KLM Air France is adding €50 (around £43) per round trip on long-haul fares. Dutch arm KLM has meanwhile announced the cancellation of 160 European flights next month, describing a growing number of its routes as no longer financially worth operating given current kerosene prices.

Air India The carrier has ditched its flat domestic fuel surcharge in favour of a distance-based system. It has acknowledged that existing international surcharges are simply not keeping pace with the scale of the price rise.

Air New Zealand Air NZ has cut flights through May and June, raised fares, and pulled its full-year earnings guidance entirely.

Akasa Air India's Akasa has introduced domestic and international fuel surcharges ranging from 199 to 1,300 Indian rupees (roughly £2–£12) depending on the route.

Alaska Air Checked bag fees are up, around £4 more on the first bag, £8 more on the second for North American flights, and the third bag has jumped from around £37 to £150. The airline has also withdrawn its full-year profit forecast.

American Airlines First and second checked bags now cost around £8 more each, while the fee for a third bag has shot up by roughly £115 on domestic and short-haul international flights. The carrier had already flagged an expected £305m rise in first-quarter costs due to fuel.

Asiana Airlines The South Korean carrier is cutting 22 flights between April and July.

British Airways Parent group IAG has said it isn't planning immediate fare hikes, having hedged a significant portion of its near-term fuel needs. Currently one of the more insulated carriers.

Cathay Pacific Around 2% of scheduled passenger flights are being cancelled between mid-May and the end of June. Budget subsidiary HK Express is cutting around 6% of its schedule. The airline raised fuel surcharges by 34% across all routes from 1 April, and is reviewing them every two weeks.

Cebu Air The Philippines-based carrier has flagged the fuel spike as a major concern and says it's actively reviewing its pricing and network.

China Eastern Airlines The airline has introduced domestic fuel surcharges from 5 April - 60 yuan (around £6) on flights under 800km, and 120 yuan (around £13) on longer domestic routes.

Delta Air Lines Delta is cutting planned capacity by around 3.5 percentage points and has raised checked bag fees. All planned capacity growth for the current quarter has been shelved, and the airline has declined to update its full-year outlook until the fuel situation becomes clearer.

EasyJet The budget carrier is bracing for a first-half pre-tax loss of between £540m and £560m which includes £25m in additional fuel costs from March alone. Passengers should expect higher fares towards the end of summer, when current hedging arrangements run out.

Frontier Airlines Reviewing its full-year forecast after fuel prices moved significantly since its last guidance was published.

Greater Bay Airlines Fuel surcharges are up on most routes from 1 April. The surcharge on Hong Kong–Philippines flights will more than double, while mainland China and Japan routes are unaffected.

Hong Kong Airlines Surcharges up by as much as 35% from 12 March, with the biggest increases on routes to the Maldives, Bangladesh, and Nepal, where charges have risen from HK$284 to HK$384 (roughly £29 to £38).

IndiGo India's biggest airline introduced fuel charges on domestic and international flights from 14 March including 900 rupees (around £8) on Middle East routes and 2,300 rupees (around £21) on European ones.

JetBlue Airways The US low-cost carrier has raised optional fees, including baggage charges, by between £3 and £7. CEO Joanna Geraghty has also publicly ruled out a bankruptcy filing in 2026, moving to quash speculation after JetBlue's founder suggested the airline could go under. The carrier has secured £380m in debt financing backed by aircraft, with an option to raise a further £190m.

Korean Air South Korea's flag carrier officially entered emergency management mode from April, with Vice Chairman Woo Kee-hong warning staff that if high oil prices persist, the damage to annual business targets would be severe. The airline had budgeted for fuel at around $2.20 per gallon however they're now paying closer to $4.50. Phased cost-efficiency measures are being rolled out across the business.

Lufthansa The German giant has made the biggest single call of any carrier so far, cancelling 20,000 flights through to October saving an estimated 40,000 metric tonnes of fuel. The cuts centre on its regional subsidiary Lufthansa CityLine, which is being permanently wound down along with its entire fleet of 27 aircraft. Around 120 daily cancellations are already in place through end of May, with routes from Frankfurt to Bydgoszcz, Rzeszów, and Stavanger dropped entirely. A further ten routes are being rerouted through other group hubs. The cuts span all six Lufthansa Group hubs: Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Vienna, Brussels, and Rome. It's worth noting that an extended series of labour strikes involving pilots, cabin crew, and ground staff also played a role in accelerating the decision to close CityLine.

Nigerian Airlines The Airline Operators of Nigeria had threatened to ground all domestic flight operations from 20 April, with carriers stating that soaring fuel costs had made services financially unsustainable. A shutdown was narrowly avoided after Nigeria's Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo intervened and called for emergency talks. The suspension of the planned action is conditional on the outcome of those discussions.

Norse Atlantic The Norwegian budget carrier has permanently cancelled its London Gatwick to Los Angeles route, citing the fuel price surge.

Pakistan International Airlines Domestic fares are up around £15 and international fares have risen by up to £75, with the airline attributing the increases to higher fuel surcharges.

Qantas Airways Australia's national carrier has delayed a planned A$150m (around £75m) share buyback and has raised its fuel cost estimate for the second half of 2026 to A$3.1bn–A$3.3bn (roughly £1.55bn–£1.65bn), up from a previous forecast of A$2.5bn (around £1.25bn).

SAS The Scandinavian carrier cancelled around 1,000 flights in April, following several hundred cuts in March.

Southwest Airlines Checked bag fees are up around £8 on both first and second bags.

Spirit Airlines In potentially the most alarming development on this list, Spirit has reportedly asked the Trump administration for hundreds of millions of pounds in emergency funding to offset fuel costs and avoid possible liquidation.

Spring Airlines The Chinese budget carrier is raising domestic fuel surcharges from 5 April.

SunExpress The Lufthansa–Turkish Airlines joint venture is adding a temporary €10 (around £9) per passenger surcharge on Turkey to mainland Europe routes from 1 May, applying to bookings made from 1 April onwards.

This is only on flights between Turkey and mainland Europe and not Europe in general.

TAP Air Portugal The Portuguese carrier has acknowledged that planned fare increases will only partially cover the fuel cost impact on revenues.

Thai Airways Fares are going up by 10–15% across its network.

TUI Europe's biggest tour operator has cut its profit forecast and suspended revenue guidance entirely. TUI, which operates its own fleet, is 83% hedged on jet fuel for the summer though its shares have still fallen 25% over the past three months.

T'Way Air The South Korean low-cost carrier has announced plans to furlough cabin crew without pay in May and June.

Turkish Airlines Has opted not to pay out any dividend from its 2025 profits, choosing instead to hold on to cash.

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has said the airline is planning on oil prices staying above $100 per barrel until the end of 2027, and is cutting unprofitable routes across the next two quarters accordingly. Checked bag fees are up around £8 for first and second bags on US, Mexico, Canada, and Latin America routes. United says it has so far managed to pass fare increases on to customers without significantly denting bookings.

VietJet The Vietnamese budget carrier has reduced flight frequency on selected routes due to concerns over potential fuel shortages.

Vietnam Airlines Cancelling 23 domestic flights per week from April, and has formally asked the Vietnamese government to remove an environmental tax on jet fuel.

Virgin Atlantic Fuel surcharges are being added to fares, but CEO Corneel Koster has acknowledged the airline will struggle to turn a profit this year regardless.

Virgin Australia Expecting an additional A$23m–A$30m (roughly £12m–£15m) in fuel costs in the second half of its fiscal year, alongside a 1% cut in capacity in the fourth quarter.

Volotea The Spanish low-cost airline has introduced a new pricing model that directly links ticket prices to fuel costs, potentially adding a post-purchase surcharge of up to €14 (around £12) per passenger per flight.

WestJet The Canadian carrier has cut seat capacity for June and is adding a C$60 (around £33) fuel surcharge to certain bookings, while also consolidating some flights.