Flights have been pulled to two desintations amid rising kerosene costs due to the war in Iran
09:06, 18 Apr 2026Updated 09:06, 18 Apr 2026
Birmingham Airport.(Image: Birmingham Mail)
There are cancellations to incoming and outgoing flights from Birmingham Airport amid fuel issues at an airline.
Flights going to and from two German destinations have been cancelled as Lufthansa suspends its CityLine services that operate from two major cities.
The Lufthansa 9.50am arrival from Frankfurt and the corresponding 10.25am departure to Frankfurt have both been axed.
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So too have the Lufthansa 17.10 flight coming from Munich and the 17.55 departure back to the Bavarian capital.
Flights have been cancelled amid a huge rise in costs to kerosene on top of an ongoing trade union dispute with pilots.
Lufthansa has now shutdown its CityLine services from Munich and Frankfurt around Europe, including to BHX, which it said was the ‘immediate and permanent removal of Lufthansa CityLine’s capacity from the program’ during the current summer schedule.
Lufthansa City has pulled its CityLine services to Birmingham amid a huge rise in kerosene costs
Lufthansa said: “In view of significantly increased kerosene prices, which have more than doubled compared to the period before the Iran war, as well as rising additional burdens from labor disputes, the implementation of the corporate strategy is being partially accelerated.
“As a first immediately effective step, the 27 operational aircraft of Lufthansa CityLine will be permanently removed from the flight program starting the day after tomorrow, in order to reduce further losses of the loss-making airline.
“The Canadair CRJ aircraft are nearing the end of their technical operational capability and have comparatively high operating costs.
“In the second step, long-haul capacity will be reduced by a total of six intercontinental aircraft at the end of the summer flight schedule.
“To this end, the last four remaining Airbus A340-600s will leave the fleet in October, thus bringing the era of this aircraft type at Lufthansa to a definitive end.
“Additionally, two Boeing 747-400s will be grounded from October onwards for the coming winter. The final farewell to this aircraft type is planned for next year.
“In the coming 2026/27 winter flight schedule, the third step will take place with a reduction in the capacities of the Lufthansa core brand as part of the envisaged consolidation of short- and medium-haul traffic across six hubs of the Lufthansa Group.
“The package of measures generates a disproportionate savings effect on fuel costs. On the one hand, particularly inefficient aircraft are being removed from flight operations early. On the other hand, the saved kerosene quantity reduces the unhedged portion of the Group’s fuel requirements.
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“The kerosene consumption of the Lufthansa Group’s passenger airlines is hedged at an above-average rate of around 80 percent based, among other things, on crude oil prices.
“However, the remaining 20 percent must still be purchased at significantly increased market prices. This particularly expensive portion of fuel requirements will be reduced by around 10 percent.”
Till Streichert, Chief Financial Officer and CFO of Lufthansa Group, said: “The package for accelerated implementation of fleet and capacity measures is unavoidable in light of the sharply increased kerosene costs and geopolitical instability.
“The goal is to focus our short- and medium-haul platforms more clearly and make them more competitive.
“In this regard, we had already identified the prospective removal of CityLine from our program as part of our strategic development for some time, independently of the current geopolitical crisis.
“The current crisis is now forcing us to implement this measure earlier. This is a painful step, particularly with regard to the colleagues.”
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Cancelled Departures
10:25 – Frankfurt – LH 955 – Lufthansa Code share: NH 5868, SQ 2145, TP 7591, UA 9569
17:55 – Munich – LH 2511 – Lufthansa
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Cancelled Arrivals
09:50 – Frankfurt – LH 954 – Lufthansa Code share: AC 9609, UA 8807
17:10 – Munich – LH 2510 – Lufthansa Code share: TP 7776