Airfare squeeze grows

Air travel is getting squeezed from both ends at once: fuel is costing airlines far more, and the routes that still work are becoming harder to run. In Europe, jet fuel prices were about 95% higher on April 7 than they were on February 28, according to Euronews, after the war involving Iran disrupted oil flows and refining chains tied to aviation fuel. (euronews.com) Jet fuel is not just another airline expense. For many carriers, fuel is one of the biggest line items on the income statement, so a sharp jump acts like a sudden rent hike on every seat they sell, especially on short-haul routes where margins are already thin. (euronews.com) The immediate problem is not only price but availability. Business Insider reported that the war has trapped oil in storage facilities across the Middle East, pushed oil above $100 a barrel, and lifted jet fuel to about $195 by the end of March, up nearly $100 from the end of February. (businessinsider.com) Jet fuel is unusually vulnerable to this kind of shock because it needs specialized refining, transport, and storage. That means airlines cannot always swap in extra supply the way other industries sometimes can, so shortages show up quickly in schedules and ticket prices. (businessinsider.com) That is why the first response from airlines has been operational, not rhetorical. Carriers have started canceling flights, trimming weaker routes, and adding fuel surcharges, because raising fares alone does not help if fuel is physically scarce or if a route turns unprofitable overnight. (businessinsider.com, euronews.com) Europe looks especially exposed because it imports large volumes of refined fuel and because summer travel demand is now building. Business Insider cited Argus Media saying the United Kingdom is the most exposed country in Europe to tightening diesel and jet fuel supply, which suggests the pressure may spread beyond fares into capacity cuts if the squeeze lasts through April and May. (businessinsider.com) The disruption is even easier to see in the Gulf, where airlines are still rebuilding schedules around conflict-related constraints. LoyaltyLobby reported that Etihad operated just 85 passenger flights out of Abu Dhabi on April 6, roughly 60% of its pre-war level, a sign that the region’s network is functioning but still far from normal. (loyaltylobby.com) Even that reduced schedule has been uneven from day to day. LoyaltyLobby separately reported 93 Etihad passenger departures from Abu Dhabi for Monday, April 6, in an earlier schedule snapshot, and then 75 for Wednesday, April 8, which shows how quickly flight plans are being revised as conditions shift. (loyaltylobby.com, loyaltylobby.com) Not every airline response is a retreat. Qatar Airways said on April 1 that it expects to operate to more than 120 destinations by mid-May 2026, using dedicated flight corridors coordinated with the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority as it rebuilds its network. (qatarairways.com) That broader rebuild includes selective bets on routes where demand still looks strong enough to justify the fuel bill. Travel And Tour World reported that Qatar Airways plans to resume Goa-to-Doha flights from May 16, 2026, adding an India link even while many airlines elsewhere are cutting back. (travelandtourworld.com) The result for travelers is a market splitting in two. Popular trunk routes with strong demand are more likely to survive with higher fares, while thinner leisure and regional routes are more likely to be cut, reduced, or repriced with surcharges. (euronews.com, businessinsider.com) For summer passengers, that means the headline is not simply “flights are more expensive.” It is that the map itself is changing: fewer marginal routes, more schedule volatility, and a bigger gap between the flights airlines want to sell and the flights they can profitably operate with jet fuel near crisis levels. (euronews.com, qatarairways.com)