Airlines have started raising costs and cutting routes, increasing the risk of last-minute cancellations and disruption before the summer holiday season
Europe’s summer getaway is under threat as airlines slash thousands of flights amid a deepening jet fuel crunch, raising alarm among holidaymakers. Lufthansa alone is scrapping 20,000 services through October to conserve fuel, the carrier announced on Tuesday, while airlines across the continent trim schedules as costs surge and supplies tighten.
Why is this happening?
The jet fuel squeeze is being driven by disruption in one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints – the Strait of Hormuz – amid the US-Israeli war on Iran. Around a fifth of global oil supply passes through the narrow route linking the Persian Gulf to world markets, making it vital to energy flows to Europe and Asia, according to the International Energy Agency.
The escalation of the conflict has sharply reduced tanker traffic through the strait, with shipments delayed or halted, triggering what IEA chief Fatih Birol even warned could become the worst energy crisis in history.
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