Cathay trims spring schedule

Cathay Pacific is cutting part of its spring schedule after jet-fuel prices jumped, trimming flights from mid-May through June 30. (cnbc.com) The Hong Kong carrier said it will cancel about 2% of its scheduled passenger flights from May 16 to June 30, 2026. Its budget unit, HK Express, will cut about 6% of flights starting May 11. (cnbc.com) Cathay said most of the reductions will hit regional routes, with a smaller number of flights to Australia, South Asia and South Africa also affected. The airline also said its passenger service suspensions to Dubai and Riyadh will remain in place until June 30. (asiaone.com) The cuts come two weeks after Cathay raised fuel surcharges by 34% across its routes from April 1 and said it would review those charges every two weeks. The airline tied both moves to higher jet-fuel prices linked to the war in the Middle East. (marketscreener.com) Jet fuel is one of the biggest costs for airlines, and the International Air Transport Association said the global average price rose 7.1% in the latest reported week to $209 a barrel. The industry group said its monitor uses weekly refinery-price data from S&P Global Platts. (iata.org) Cathay entered 2026 from a position of strength. The Cathay Group reported attributable profit of HK$10.8 billion for 2025, up from HK$9.9 billion in 2024, and said Cathay Pacific and HK Express had expanded to more than 100 passenger destinations worldwide. (news.cathaypacific.com) That makes the schedule pullback a cost-control move during a fuel shock, not a demand collapse. International Air Transport Association Director General Willie Walsh said this week that jet-fuel supply could take months to recover even if the Strait of Hormuz stays open. (reutersconnect.com) For travelers, the immediate effect is narrower choice and higher trip costs at the same time. Cathay has already raised surcharges, and now it is removing some flights from a network it had been rebuilding for three straight years. (marketscreener.com)