Airlines around the world have cut thousands of flights since May and cut capacity as jet fuel shortages begin to show, raising the risk of disruption for families traveling over the mid-term holiday.
Canceled flights all over the world
Travel plans for the mid-term holiday could be significantly affected as global airlines announce the cancellation of around 13,000 flights scheduled for May, according to Euronews.
According to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium, operators have already cut almost two million seats from the May flight schedule in just the past two weeks.
Cirium data revealed that the total number of seats available during May across all airlines globally fell from 132 million to 130 million in the last two weeks of April.
The canceled flights could significantly affect travel for individuals and families who have booked a trip abroad during the end-of-May holiday in the UK and parts of mainland Europe.
European airlines canceling flights include Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa, British Airways and KLM.
The two million figure does not include what is likely to happen during the summer holiday which will be disrupted for passenger aviation.
Airlines have also cut millions of seats and switched to smaller planes as jet fuel shortages – linked to the conflict in Iran – continue to affect timetables, increasing the risk of disruption for tourists.
Along with Turkish Airlines, German airline Lufthansa is one of the hardest hit by the fuel shortage, cutting around 20,000 short-haul routes from its summer schedule.
Globally, many airlines have raised fares on the most popular routes, canceled flights entirely on less attractive routes and continue to use smaller aircraft to save fuel.
In the United Kingdom, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander announced that a rule requiring airlines to use flight slots at UK airports at the risk of being given to rivals will be temporarily suspended.
In practice, this means that operators such as British Airways can reduce the number of flights without being penalised.
As spring and summer continue, passengers on the most popular flights, whose flights are not canceled, could be rescheduled for service on another day, meaning their vacations could be shorter than originally planned.
