German airline Lufthansa will cut 20,000 Europeanshort-haul flights over the summer, saying soaring fuel prices have made many journeys “unprofitable” for the firm.
Jet fuel has doubled in price since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran as the conflict has slowed its production and transportation across the Middle East.
Several airlines, including KLM-France and Delta, have also temporarily cut some flights while others have raised ticket prices as they pass on expenses to customers.
Analysts have warned that travellers should expect further ticket price rises and more cancelled flights as the conflict continues.
Airlines cut flights and hike fares as fuel prices surge
The Gulf is a major source of aviation fuel, accounting for about 50% of Europe’s imports. The bulk of it comes through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively closed in response to US and Israeli attacks.
Lufthansa said on Tuesday it would save roughly 40,000 metric tons of jet fuel through its flight cuts, the majority of which will come from the closure of its CityLine service.
It said this means it will temporarily stop flying to and from Heringsdorf, Cork, Gdańsk, Ljubljana, Rijeka, Sibiu, Stuttgart, Trondheim, Tivat, and Wrocław.
