Business06 May, 20262 min read
Airlines Cut 13,000 Flights In May As Jet Fuel Prices Jump To $1,838
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Global May flight cancellations total around 13,000 as jet fuel prices surged. About 2 million seats were removed from May schedules worldwide.
Flights cut as fuel spikes
Airlines cut 13,000 flights in May as jet fuel prices jumped to $1,838, according to data from Cirium cited by Ukrainian National News. The largest reductions were recorded in Istanbul and Munich, with airlines worldwide also reducing the number of seats on flights by nearly two million over the course of a month. The Times said Cirium analyzed scheduled flights due to take off across May and found 846,162 scheduled flights, down by just over 13,000. The cancellations and capacity cuts were linked in the reporting to the conflict in the Middle East and the resulting rise in aviation fuel costs.
“In May, airlines canceled 13,000 flights due to fuel prices jumping to $1,838.”
UK slot flexibility and warnings
In the UK, the trade body representing British airlines said operations were continuing as normal and there were currently no fuel supply issues, while it welcomed government contingency plans to allow airlines to cancel flights without losing valuable take-off and landing slots. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said at the weekend she expected most travelers to experience similar conditions to last summer, and the UK government said it was preparing measures including relaxing the “use-it-or-lose-it” slot rules. The Guardian reported that the transport secretary said there were no “immediate supply issues,” but the government was “preparing now to give families long-term certainty and avoid unnecessary disruption at the departure gate this summer”. At the same time, the International Energy Agency warned in mid-April that Europe had “perhaps six weeks of aviation fuel reserves left,” advising 32 member governments on energy supply and security.
Spirit shutdown and broader fallout
The jet fuel shock also fed into Spirit Airlines’ collapse, with The Independent saying Spirit announced it is winding down operations with all flights cancelled after failing to emerge from bankruptcy. Fox Business reported that Spirit’s lawyer, Marshall Huebner, said the surge in jet fuel prices left the company with "no remaining way out" of bankruptcy and caused it to cease operations last weekend. NBC News added that Spirit said it was forced to ground its fleet for good over the weekend because "recent geopolitical events resulted in a massive and sustained increase in fuel prices." As the industry adjusts, NPR reported that Delta will eliminate food and beverage services on some short-haul flights starting on May 19, with an airline spokesperson saying it is “to create a more consistent experience across our network.”
“Delta says it is making the change ‘to create a more consistent experience across our network.’”