Airlines cancel 13,000 flights in May as fuel costs soar

Airlines have dramatically escalated flight cancellations in May as the aviation industry grapples with soaring jet fuel prices driven by the Middle East conflict, with 296 departures from UK airports cancelled this month representing 0.75 percent of scheduled flights, up significantly from 120 cancellations reported six days prior. Around 13,000 flights have been cancelled globally in May, resulting in two million fewer available seats, though this constitutes a mere 1.5 percent reduction in total worldwide aviation capacity, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. Turkish Airlines has been the most severely impacted carrier with over 3,000 flights cancelled, while Lufthansa Group announced it will cancel 20,000 flights over the next six months to save 40,000 metric tonnes of jet fuel, which has doubled in price. Air India has emerged as a particularly affected carrier, announcing the suspension of several international flights for three months from June, including key routes from Delhi to Chicago, Newark, Singapore and Shanghai, with nearly 100 daily flights reduced overall as part of cost-containment efforts. The Tata Group-owned airline is also dealing with mounting financial pressure, reportedly ending fiscal year 2026 with losses exceeding Rs 22,000 crore, and has frozen annual salary increments while introducing tighter cost controls and reportedly terminating over 1,000 employees over the past three years for misconduct violations. Despite widespread disruption, the outlook for peak summer travel appears more stable, with week-on-week schedule reductions for June remaining limited at 48 fewer outbound flights and July seeing a reduction of just 31 flights week-on-week. Major carriers are implementing various measures to offset fuel costs, including Air France-KLM raising long-haul ticket prices by 50 euros per round trip, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby indicating ticket prices may need to rise by 15 to 20 percent, and carriers including Delta, American Airlines, Alaska Air and WestJet increasing checked baggage fees. However, tour operators including TUI, Jet2 and EasyJet Holidays have reassured customers that holiday prices are fixed with no fuel surcharges added, with TUI CFO Mathias Kiep stating he is "very much convinced" there will be no fuel shortage in the coming weeks.