Flyers from the UK are facing at least 120 flight cancellations in May 2026 amid the ongoing Middle East fuel crisis. While the new figures from aviation analysts Cirium amount to a small proportion (only just over half a percent) of UK departures, even those cancellations have wiped approximately 26,570 seats from schedules. Around a quarter of the cancellations are from major London airports.
Worse, the cancellations include departures that were scheduled for the final week in May, coinciding with the traditional “Whitsun” holiday, one of the UK’s busiest times for travel. Globally, 1.5% of May flights were cancelled in the 11-day period between 10 and 21 April, representing a loss of two million seats. Looking forward to June, 36 outbound flights have already been slashed from UK timetables in the last week, cutting 7,972 seats.
Some of the world’s best-known airlines are among those issuing cancellations and forecasting financial impacts due to soaring fuel prices caused by the Israeli-US war on Iran and the ensuing blockade of vital transit in Strait of Hormuz. British Airways’ parent company International Airlines Group (IAG) has warned profits will be hit as it expects to likely take a two billion euro hit this year and that it is “taking the necessary action on yields, costs and capacity.”
Lufthansa Group has stood down 20,000 flights over a six-month period. Air France has predicted an increase in fuel costs of €2 billion for the year, and American Airlines has warned its fuel costs will be up by around $4 billion (€3.4 billion). AirAsia’s co-founder Tony Fernandez has said the situation is worse for aviation than the COVID-19 travel shutdown.
While travel industry stakeholders fear the fallout of the geopolitical uncertainty on consumer confidence, some commentators are emphasising that it is better for airlines to look ahead and cancel in advance rather than leave travellers stranded at the last minute.
Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership has pointed out that airlines are prioritising popular routes meaning core summer holiday destinations “remain unaffected.” She has insisted that, as a result, “customers can continue to book with confidence.”
However, Rory Boland, editor of consumer champion Which? Travel, said: “It is understandable that holidaymakers are feeling apprehensive about their summer travel plans due to the wave of cancellations.” He recommended that worried consumers choose package holidays that are covered by price protections in the event of disruption.
Responding to the crisis, the UK government has announced emergency rules allowing airlines to group passengers together to rationalise aircraft deployment and fuel consumption. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has confirmed a national hedging strategy to bring in fuel from the US, as well as increasing UK refinery output.
In Europe meanwhile, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, has refused to declare special circumstances that would relieve airlines of their issued their obligations to passengers in the event of cancellations. The guidance obliges airlines to honour existing consumer protections and means they must continue to reimburse and assist passengers whose flights are affected. Only a localised fuel shortage under specific conditions would qualify as an exception to the rule.
