About 13,000 fewer flights will operate globally this MaySara Rountree Deputy Editor, Cork Beo, Carrington Walker Live News Journalist and Tannur Anders UK & World News Reporter
08:13, 06 May 2026Updated 09:03, 06 May 2026
Approximately 13,000 fewer services will run globally in May
Airlines have cancelled 13,000 flights worldwide as a fuel crisis continues to squeeze carriers. As one of the world’s major travel hubs, Heathrow in London has been among the worst affected, with more than 100 flights removed from the airport’s May timetable.
Aviation fuel costs continue to surge amidst the continuing US-Iran conflict, with concerns that sustained jet fuel supply issues might trigger additional cancellations throughout the summer months, reports the Mirror.
Airlines received notification over the weekend that they may be granted increased flexibility to merge flights on busy routes if required. Airlines have removed two million passenger seats from May’s timetables as they restructure their operations due to rocketing aviation fuel prices connected to the Middle Eastern hostilities, according to the Guardian.
Many passengers are looking forward to the summer holidays (stock photo)(Image: Getty)
Fuel costs have skyrocketed since the US-Iran conflict began over two months ago, following joint American and Israeli military action against several strategic Iranian locations.
Tehran responded by targeting sites throughout the Middle East and shutting down the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping channel, which handles 20% of the world’s oil trade.
Approximately 13,000 fewer services will run globally in May following recent withdrawals, based on figures from aviation analytics firm Cirium. Part of the two-million-seat reduction stems from deploying smaller aircraft alongside complete cancellations.
Istanbul and Munich have witnessed the most significant decline in flight numbers, with Turkish Airlines and Germany’s Lufthansa implementing substantial reductions.
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Lufthansa has axed 20,000 short-distance services, run by its CityLine division. Most short-haul airlines flying from the UK have secured strong hedging arrangements on aviation fuel, meaning they aren’t anticipating immediate cost pressures.
Low-cost operators EasyJet and Wizz Air have pledged to operate their summer timetables in full, despite challenges affecting the unhedged element of their fuel costs.
The sector reports no current supply problems, given the typical 6-week forward visibility, though international bodies have warned that Europe could face aviation fuel shortages should the Middle East conflict continue to disrupt deliveries.
Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary has said that the UK will be one of the worst-impacted and that Ryanair will be well able to keep up over the next few weeks. The Irish airline boss has indicated that there should be no major disruption in supply until the end of June, but the outlook from July will depend on the major fuel companies.
O’Leary said Ryanair‘s strong relationship with fuel suppliers means its prices are hedged out much further than those of other carriers, and he is confident there will be no major supply disruption over the coming weeks.
The UK Government has indicated that extraordinary measures might be implemented proactively to prevent last-minute disruption for holidaymakers during the summer period, including merging timetables on routes where several flights to the same destination operate on the same day.
Ministers stated that where airlines haven’t sold a substantial proportion of seats, services may also be axed to avoid squandering fuel by operating nearly empty aircraft. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has confirmed 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”.
O’Leary has continually pushed back claims that European airlines may face incredibly difficult decisions sparked by a severe shortage of jet fuel. Even as other airlines like Lufthansa and Aer Lingus cut thousands of summer flights, the Ryanair chief said that fuel suppliers have indicated a far more positive outlook in recent weeks.
Aer Lingus has drawn up emergency plans with fears Europe could run out of jet fuel ‘within weeks.’ Ireland’s national carrier is reported to be cutting 500 flights from its schedule over the busiest time of the year. Aer Lingus says that for Europe and North America flights, most customers will be accommodated on same-day services.
The global energy watchdog, the International Energy Agency (IEA), has warned there could be flight cancellations “soon” if oil supplies remain restricted by the US-Israel war on Iran.