Between 16 May 2026 and 30 June 2026, Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific will be cutting its flight schedule. The decision, shared on 11 April 2026, was prompted by a stark increase in jet fuel prices.
The conflict in the Middle East has caused fuel prices to surge, leading to financial difficulties for many airlines across the world. Cathay Pacific Airways, too, has been affected by the price increase and has decided to cut several flights in its schedule in order to balance strong demand and the effect of the fuel surge on its profit margin.
From 16 May until 30 June 2026, Cathay Pacific will therefore cancel 2% of its flights. Its low-cost subsidiary, HK Express, will be cutting 6% of its flights from 11 May 2026 onwards. According to the airline, the flight cuts should mainly affect regional routes, as well as a small number of flights to Australia, South Asia, and South Africa.
Although gasoline prices have increased substantially, jet fuel and distillate prices have increased significantly more. pic.twitter.com/FWsbgljvDO
— Hedgeye (@Hedgeye) April 7, 2026
“All affected customers will be offered protection on flights departing within 24 hours of their originally scheduled flights. The ongoing volatile situation in the Middle East continues to negatively impact the price of jet fuel. This is placing huge cost pressure on airlines around the world,” a Cathay Pacific Airlines spokesman said.
Moreover, part of the cancellations can be explained by the airline’s previous decision to suspend all flights between Hong Kong and Dubai, as well as between Hong Kong and Riyadh, until 30 June 2026. A ticket waiver policy has been put in place to provide additional choice and flexibility to any customers who planned to travel to Dubai or Riyadh up to 31 July 2026. Passengers are thus able to rebook, reroute, or refund their tickets without the usual fees.
Once 30 June has gone by, both Cathay Pacific and HK Express will be operating all of their scheduled passenger flights.
Although a 2-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States is ongoing at the time of writing, only a handful of oil tankers have been able to pass the Strait of Hormuz. Such a small number of oil ships is unlikely to decrease global fuel prices, which industry experts say could remain high over the coming months. With many airlines already struggling to afford jet fuel prices and to stock up on jet fuel, it is unclear as yet what the long-term effects on the aviation industry will be.
