A budget airline operating across Europe has cancelled a number of flights due to an ongoing jet fuel shortage caused by the conflict in the Middle East. Transavia, which is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM group, is the latest airline to announce that it will be cutting back its flight schedule. The move will affect approximately 2% of its overall schedule, the airline has revealed. The flights removed from the schedule operate to and from France.
This affects passengers who have already booked onto these flights, and they will be offered a refund or the opportunity to rebook. Affected passengers will be contacted by text message or email. The Strait of Hormuz blockade has prevented the export of crude oil, which has pushed up the price of jet fuel and led to shortages. Experts have previously warned that Europe only has a few weeks of jet fuel left, while some have urged people to book their summer flights now before prices increase.
Transavia France said in a statement: “Due to the current geopolitical context in the Middle East and its impact on aviation fuel prices, it is adjusting its flight schedule and is forced to cancel several flights scheduled for May and June 2026.”
It is one of several international airlines that have announced a reduced flight schedule amid the jet fuel crisis. Lufthansa, Germany’s flag carrier, has confirmed it will discontinue its service between Glasgow and Frankfurt, with the final flight between the two cities available to book on 31st May.
It blamed the high price of kerosene, revealing that Lufthansa’s summer schedule will be reduced by less than 1%. The airline said in a statement: “To compensate for this, Lufthansa has taken immediate action and will consolidate the flight schedules of all Lufthansa Group airlines, cancelling 20,000 flights by the end of October. As a result of these decisions, flights to Glasgow will no longer be operated by Lufthansa via Frankfurt, but for the time being, by Edelweiss via Zurich offering access to the Swiss International Air Lines network.”
Other airlines that have announced the cancellation of some flights include Air Canada, Asiana Airlines, Delta, KLM and SAS. Meanwhile, other airlines have announced higher fare prices, such as Virgin Atlantic, Thai Airways and British Airways-owner IAG.
