Newsroom
Airlines around the world are cutting flights, shrinking schedules, and scrambling to save fuel as growing concerns over global fuel supplies begin to hit the aviation industry.
According to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium, airlines removed around 2 million seats from their May schedules as the industry braces for possible supply disruptions linked to the ongoing conflict involving Iran.
The cuts come as jet fuel prices have doubled since fighting escalated in late February, putting pressure on airlines already dealing with fragile global travel networks and rising operating costs.
Passengers are now beginning to feel the impact through higher ticket prices, fewer available flights, and schedule disruptions.
The crisis has particularly affected routes passing through the Gulf region, which normally handles a major share of travel between Europe and Asia.
Several airports in the Gulf have faced disruptions, while fears over instability around the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global fuel shipments, have added to concerns over jet fuel availability.
Industry analysts say airlines are trying to avoid situations where planes could become stranded without enough fuel for return trips.
“No European airline is going to send an aircraft to Asia to meet demand in the Gulf, only to find that it is stranded there without fuel for the return flight,” aviation analyst John Strickland said.
Major Gulf carriers, including Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Qatar Airways, have revised their schedules and canceled flights as they continue recovering from earlier disruptions caused by the conflict.
Globally, total airline seat capacity for May dropped from 132 million to 130 million seats, according to Cirium.
Other international airlines, including British Airways, United Airlines, Air China, and Japan’s All Nippon Airways, have also adjusted routes and flight frequencies to reduce fuel consumption and avoid travel bottlenecks.
Some airlines are switching to smaller aircraft on certain routes to cut fuel use. Etihad, for example, replaced larger Airbus planes with smaller Boeing aircraft on flights between Abu Dhabi and Hong Kong.
Others are making deeper cuts. Lufthansa has reportedly canceled around 20,000 flights between May and October because soaring fuel costs have made some routes financially unsustainable.
Meanwhile, airlines such as Delta Air Lines, easyJet, and Virgin Atlantic have warned that profits are likely to take a hit as the crisis deepens.
The disruption is also creating ripple effects for travelers in Cyprus, where many passengers rely on Gulf hubs such as Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi for long-haul connections to Asia and beyond. Any reduction in flights or higher ticket prices on those routes could directly affect travel options from the island in the coming months.
Despite the cutbacks, demand for travel between Europe and Asia remains strong, with some airlines even deploying larger aircraft on direct routes to meet passenger demand.
Still, industry experts warn that if fuel prices continue rising and instability in the region worsens, travelers could face an even more expensive and unpredictable summer travel season.
