An airline boss who axed flights from London Gatwick has warned other airlines may be planning further cancellations, as the crisis in Iran continues to fuel the global energy crisis. The airline boss said that fuel costs had increased by more than 100 per cent after just a few days, leading to the decision to cancel flights. Eivind Roald, CEO of Norse Atlantic Airways, said that the war has led to challenging internal discussions with difficult decisions being made.
Speaking to BBC Newsnight, he said: “From our side we will continue flying from London Gatwick, and from Athens and Rome this summer, we don’t have any plans to cancel more flights. When it comes to our competitors, I can’t really say, I assume you will see more cancellations coming, we often see it coming in short-haul flights in Europe. The long-haul flights are still there.”
As it stands, British Airways owner IAG, Easyjet and Jet2 holidays currently have no plans to change their flight schedules. Roald said he is hopeful that the price of jet fuel will come down in the next six to nine months.
“What we will see is a consolidation in the industry. We think that you will see that things will be changed, some of the companies’ existence,” he said.
Since the beginning of Trump’s war in Iran, which started when the US and Israel struck the country in February, passengers have seen fare prices increase. It comes as the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for jet fuel out of the Arabian Gulf, was closed by Iran amid the ongoing conflict.
There have been warnings from the International Energy Agency (IEA) that Europe faces possible jet fuel shortages in six weeks. Meanwhile, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has since warned passengers to expect cancellations this year.
The UK has now increased its imports of jet fuel from outside of the Middle East, as no end date for the war is in sight. Sally Gethin, an aviation specialist, previously told the Daily Mail: “Even if it opens you’d still need time for the jet fuel supplies to start up again.
“The worst-case scenario is if this carries on for six to eight weeks and the shortages start really biting. This could pose an existential crisis to airlines – even if they slap on fuel surcharges, they still won’t recoup the cost.”
“You could be looking at tens of thousands, potentially hundreds of thousands, of flights being cancelled globally,” she added. “It could affect holiday companies as well, although consumers will be protected if their trips are covered by ATOL.”
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
