The UK Government has issued an update (Image: Boarding1Now via Getty Images)
The UK Government has issued an urgent appeal to Britons with summer holidays booked as the tally of axed flights continues to climb.
With the Middle East crisis and soaring jet fuel prices driving up costs ahead of the industry’s busiest travel season, carriers are cancelling services in a frantic effort to preserve funds. Approximately 13,000 flights have been removed from May timetables worldwide, according to data from aviation analytics company Cirium.
Of those, 1,468 originate from Britain’s largest airports, accounting for 275,616 lost seats. That figure was calculated using the most recent data, comparing flight schedules on April 10 with those on April 21. The actual number is probably considerably higher now, following the UK Government’s decision to grant airlines additional powers to merge and axe flights.
While the overall figure appears substantial, carriers have introduced numerous alternative services that bring the net cancellations down markedly. The net cancellations from Heathrow currently stand at approximately 100.
In response to concerns surrounding flight cancellations and limited jet fuel supplies, a joint statement has been released from the Foreign Office, Department of Transport, and Department of Energy Security.
It reads: “There is no current need for passengers to change their travel plans. UK airlines buy jet fuel in advance, and airports maintain stocks to support their resilience. The government is working closely with the aviation industry to monitor risks and minimise disruption to passengers. If your flight is cancelled, you have clear legal rights, including the right to a full refund or re-routing. Read this factsheet for the full picture on the current situation and what it means for you.
Thousands of flights have been cut from the schedule (Image: skynesher via Getty Images)
“We advise passengers to continue checking with their airlines before they travel, and to check the FCDO travel advice for the latest updates. You should also ensure you have appropriate travel insurance.”
The global jet fuel shortage sparked by the Iran conflict has generated a more serious crisis for airlines than the Covid-19 pandemic, the head of AirAsia warned this week. Tony Fernandes, chief executive of AirAsia, said: “I thought I’d seen it all with Covid […] but having seen jet fuel go up almost three times – this is much worse.”
Jet fuel supplies have fallen to their lowest level on record as the Iran conflict wreaks havoc across fuel shipping routes.
“You wake up one day and your major cost has tripled – it was quite a new experience for me and I’ve been through a lot in my life,” Fernandes told the Financial Times.
Have you experienced a flight cancellation or alteration? Email webtravel@reachplc.com This follows the collapse of US budget airline Spirit earlier this week, with Fernandes warning that other low-cost carriers could face a similar fate, according to City AM.
As many as two million seats have been wiped out following the axing of 13,000 flights in May as a direct consequence of the conflict, it was revealed earlier this week. Airports in Istanbul, Turkey, and Munich, Germany, have experienced the steepest drop in air traffic.
German airline Lufthansa has cancelled 20,000 short-haul flights, while Irish carrier Aer Lingus has cut hundreds of journeys from its summer timetable. The UK economy is the most “structurally exposed” to jet fuel shortages, according to analysts at Allianz Trade.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has eased “use it or lose it” regulations in an effort to alleviate the growing pressures facing airlines, and is promoting staycations in an attempt to manage expectations should Britons see their summer holidays cancelled.
The “use it or lose it” regulations stipulate that airlines’ slots at airports must be utilised for a specified period to maintain their entitlement to use the space.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
