Europe Flights Hit by Fuel Crunch
- Lufthansa Group said this week it will remove 20,000 short-haul flights from its schedule through October, as Europe’s jet fuel squeeze and higher prices force airlines to trim summer capacity. - Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary said on April 1 that fuel supply to Europe could be disrupted from June, while Aer Lingus has already cut about 2% of flights for summer. - Europe’s fuel system was already fragile after refinery closures, and IATA said cancellations could begin by late May if alternative supply lines do not hold. (iata.org)
Lufthansa Group said this week it will cancel 20,000 short-haul flights through October as Europe’s jet fuel squeeze starts hitting airline schedules. (nytimes.com) (apnews.com) The cuts amount to less than 1% of Lufthansa’s capacity, but the company said the move would save fuel as prices jumped after the Iran war disrupted flows through the Strait of Hormuz. (nytimes.com) (apnews.com) Ryanair warned earlier this month that fuel supply to Europe could be disrupted from June if the Middle East conflict did not ease. Chief executive Michael O’Leary said the carrier was holding daily calls with suppliers and that stability was expected only through the end of May. (marketscreener.com) Aer Lingus has already made “a limited number” of summer schedule adjustments, saying cancellations were tied to mandatory aircraft maintenance. RTÉ reported the changes affect about 2% of its overall schedule and more than 500 flights had been identified by the Sunday Independent. (rte.ie) (travel.yahoo.com) The fuel problem reaches beyond one airline. Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association, said on April 17 that Europe could start seeing cancellations by the end of May if jet fuel shortages deepen. (iata.org) (marketscreener.com) IATA’s weekly monitor shows the global average jet fuel price last week was $184.63 a barrel, even after a 6.7% drop from the prior week. The New York Times reported prices had jumped more than 70% since the war began. (iata.org) (nytimes.com) Europe entered this shock with a weaker buffer than many travelers realize. IATA said in a November 2025 brief that refinery closures had increased Europe’s reliance on imported jet fuel and left supply security uneven across the region. (iata.org) Reuters reported this week that the European Union is considering requiring countries to hold jet fuel stockpiles and redistribute supplies if shortages become regional. That debate has moved from airline contingency planning into government policy. (msn.com) For travelers, the immediate pattern is narrower schedules first and higher fares next, not a blanket shutdown of European flying. The summer season now depends on whether replacement fuel imports keep arriving before airlines make deeper cuts. (cnbc.com) (iata.org)
