Concerns about fuel availability in the coming weeks show no signs of abating. The British newspaper “Financial Times”, citing data from analytical firm Cirium, reports that global airlines have cut two million seats from their May schedules in the past two weeks.
The newspaper reports that thousands of flights have been canceled and some airlines have been operating smaller or more fuel-efficient aircraft to save fuel in anticipation of potential supply disruptions.
Since the start of the Iran war in late February, the cost of jet fuel has doubled, according to the Financial Times, forcing airlines to raise ticket prices.
Gulf carriers including Emirates, Etihad and Qatar, whose flights are still recovering after disruption in the early weeks of the conflict, have re-scheduled their May schedules, including canceling flights, Cirium data shows.
The total number of seats available across all airlines during May fell from 132 million to 130 million between mid- and late April, according to figures.
International carriers from British Airways and United to China Air and Japan's ANA have also cut or added significant capacity, reorganizing their networks to ease disruptions to global travel.
Meanwhile, the closure of Gulf airports, which serve a third of European flights to Asia, has caused significant disruption to global traffic.
