Europe is left with just six weeks’ worth of jet fuel as the ongoing Middle East conflict intensifies, forcing major airlines to ground flights.

Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), has cautioned that flight cancellations could follow “soon” if oil supplies continue to be restricted by the Iran war. Iran maintains a firm grip on tankers navigating through the Strait of Hormuz, with Mr Birol telling the Associated Press this is triggering “the largest energy crisis we have ever faced”.

He warned that Asian nations such as Japan, India and China, which are heavily reliant on Middle Eastern energy supplies, are on “the front line”, with the pressure expected to “come to Europe and the Americas” shortly afterwards.

Europe has just six weeks of fuel remaining, according to the IEA director. He added that should the Strait of Hormuz remain blocked, the knock-on effect could mean “some of the flights from city A to city B might be canceled as a result of a lack of jet fuel”.

A number of airlines have cautioned that they may be forced to cancel flights should the situation persist, though fewer have already taken such action.

Swedish flag carrier SAS has announced it would cancel 1,000 flights in April owing to soaring oil and jet fuel prices, having already cancelled a “couple hundred” flights in March. United Airlines announced that five per cent of flights would be cancelled in the second and third quarters of 2026, while Dutch carrier KLM has axed 160 flights over the coming month.

South Korean airline Asiana will cut 22 flights between April and July owing to the rise in fuel costs.

Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific will reduce flights from mid-May until the end of June, with approximately 2% of its scheduled passenger services grounded. Its budget arm HK Express is slashing around 6% of its flights.

German airline group Lufthansa revealed it would ground 27 aircraft serving its short-haul CityLine subsidiary ahead of schedule, citing soaring jet fuel prices as the reason.

Vietnam Airlines plans to cancel 23 flights per week across domestic routes from April.

Air New Zealand confirmed in March that it would be scaling back flights over the next two months, with an estimated 1,100 services set to be affected.

Norse Atlantic Airways has withdrawn all flights to Los Angeles International Airport from its summer timetable, pointing to the fuel shortage as the cause.

While major carriers including British Airways, Ryanair and easyJet have flagged the potential impact of rising fuel prices on ticket costs and schedules, none have yet cancelled flights as a direct result.

However, BA is discontinuing its route from London Heathrow to Jeddah, though the airline insists this is due to a shift in passenger demand. Last week, easyJet chief executive Kenton Jarvis moved to reassure travellers, stating that all airports the airline operates from are “operating as normal”.

He went on to say: “We only ever in this industry have three to four weeks’ visibility (of jet fuel supplies), and that is the same as it was pre-crisis. We have visibility to the middle of May, and we have no concerns. What we’re seeing is airports and fuel suppliers working well to bring jet fuel to the airports.”

EasyJet disclosed that the Middle East conflict cost the airline approximately £25 million in heightened jet fuel expenses last month. The Luton-based carrier said it expects to report a headline pre-tax loss of between £540 million and £560 million for the six months ending in March.

The ongoing conflict has generated “near-term uncertainty around fuel costs and customer demand”, easyJet warned.

Bookings have fallen by two percentage points for the three-month periods ending in both June and September when compared with the same periods last year.

News of the larger-than-expected first-half losses caused easyJet shares to plunge by as much as 9% in early Thursday trading, before recovering to sit around 4% lower.

Europe is facing a major jet fuel crisis with experts warning supplies could run dangerously low within weeks. The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has sparked fears over oil shipments travelling through the Strait of Hormuz – one of the world’s most important energy routes.

Industry chiefs now fear airlines could be forced into even more drastic cuts if the situation worsens. The International Energy Agency has warned Europe may only have around six weeks of jet fuel supply remaining. Fatih Birol, executive director of the agency, described the situation as “the largest energy crisis we have ever faced“. He warned flight cancellations could increase “soon” if oil supplies continue to be restricted. A number of major airlines have already started slashing routes, grounding aircraft and cutting back on summer schedules. Passengers are now being warned to expect disruption, fewer available seats and rising ticket prices. The crisis has also left airlines facing soaring fuel bills running into tens of millions of pounds.

Here are the 10 major airlines already announcing cancellations and flight cuts:

-SAS – The Scandinavian carrier has cancelled 1,000 flights in April as it battles rising fuel costs.

-United Airlines – The US airline plans to cancel 5% of flights during the second and third quarters of 2026.

-KLM – The Dutch airline has cancelled 160 flights for the coming month amid fuel pressures.

-Cathay Pacific – The Hong Kong-based carrier is grounding around 2% of its scheduled passenger flights.

-HK Express – Cathay Pacific’s budget airline is cutting around 6% of services.

-Asiana Airlines – The South Korean airline will slash 22 flights between April and July because of the increase in jet fuel costs.

-Lufthansa – Germany’s biggest airline group is grounding 27 planes servicing its CityLine short-haul subsidiary earlier than planned.

-Air New Zealand – The airline expects around 1,100 flights to be impacted over the next two months.

-Norse Atlantic Airways – The low-cost carrier has removed all Los Angeles flights from its summer schedule.

– Vietnam Airlines – The airline plans to cancel 23 domestic flights per week from April.

EasyJet has said it does not expect any immediate fuel supply issues, despite soaring oil prices linked to the Middle East conflict.

Javier Gándara, the airline’s CEO for Spain and Portugal, said producers and airports believe there will be no shortages for the next three or four weeks.

He said: “Beyond that, it’s difficult to see. In Spain, we are in a comparatively better situation than neighbouring countries.”

However, he warned: “No one will be immune to potential supply problems.”

Rob Brooks, a holiday expert and insider for travel firm On The Beach, posted a video over the weekend setting out precisely what the fuel crisis means for the majority of Brits planning their summer getaways.

He said: “Yes, some flights are being cancelled. But it’s not because planes can’t fly, or destinations are unsafe.

“It’s because, in some cases, it’s become too expensive to fly certain routes for airlines. When fuel prices spike like this, the airlines have a choice: they can either run the flight and lose money, or they can cancel it. And occasionally, they choose to cancel it.”

Mr Brooks went on to explain that many airlines don’t actually purchase fuel at current prices, instead using a practice known as “fuel hedging”, whereby they have already locked in fuel prices months, and sometimes years, ahead of time.

He added: “So while, yes, fuel prices are rising right now, a lot of airlines are protected from that, especially for summer 2026 at least.

“Airlines like Ryanair and easyJet are well-known for hedging a big chunk of their fuel early, so they’re not suddenly scrambling or cancelling loads of flights overnight.

“The airlines that are most affected are the ones that chose not to hedge their fuel.”

Ryanair has cautioned passengers that they face disruption in the coming days. The budget airline has issued emails to travellers flying from the UK into much of Europe.

It warns of ‘longer queues, particularly at busy airports’. The cause is the new Entry and Exit System (EES), recently introduced by the European Union (EU). This requires all travellers from the UK and other non-EU countries to be photographed and fingerprinted at EU airports and border crossings.

The new system is designed to replace manual passport stamping and more efficiently monitor the 90-day visa-free limit, and there have been widespread reports of hours-long delays at busy airports. It has even been suspended on occasion to ease the mounting backlog.

In its message to customers titled ‘Important: Changes to Passport Control’, Ryanair states: “From 10 April 2026, the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) is in place at all Schengen Area external borders. As a result, passport control may take longer for some passengers.

“You are affected if you hold a non‐EU / non‐EEA / non‐Swiss passport (e.g. UK, USA, Canada, Australia), and are flying into or out of the Schengen Area.”, reports the Liverpool Echo.

“Commonly affected routes include flights between the Schengen Area and countries such as: UK, Ireland, Cyprus, Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Türkiye, Egypt, Israel and others.

“At passport control you may need to:

These checks may cause longer queues, particularly at busy airports. Queues may form before security.

Those who are not affected:

“If you are denied entry, this will be due to EU policy, not Ryanair’s rules.”

Greece has reportedly opted to pause the EES rollout following considerable delays. A statement on the Greek Embassy website and posts across official social media channels confirmed: “In the framework of the implementation of the Entry/Exit System, as of 10 April 2026, British passport holders are exempt from biometric registration at Greek border crossing points.”

Airport representatives and the European Commission convened a meeting on Tuesday to address difficulties surrounding the system. Approximately 122 passengers were left stranded and unable to board their flight from Milan Linate to Manchester on Sunday, following substantial hold-ups at passport control linked to the introduction of the EES.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has confirmed that your details will require re-registering every three years, and has warned that travellers may face longer waiting times when entering or departing a country. It states: “The European Union’s (EU) Entry/Exit System (EES) started on 12 October 2025 This is a new digital border system that has changed requirements for British citizens travelling to the Schengen area.

The countries in the Schengen area are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

The Republic of Ireland and Cyprus are not within the Schengen area, and therefore EES is not applicable when travelling to either of these countries. If you are travelling to a country in the Schengen area for a short stay using a UK passport, you may be required to register your biometric details, such as fingerprints and a photo, when you arrive. You do not need to take any action before you arrive at the border, and there is no cost for EES registration.

EES registration is replacing the current system of manually stamping passports when visitors arrive in the EU. EES may take each passenger extra time to complete so be prepared to wait longer than usual at the border.

“On your first visit to the Schengen area, you may be asked to create a digital record at the port or airport on arrival. You may be asked to submit your fingerprints and have your photo taken at dedicated booths. You don’t need to provide any information before travelling to a Schengen area country. The checks may take slightly longer than previously, so be prepared to wait during busy times.”

“If you enter the Schengen area through the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel Le Shuttle at Folkestone or Eurostar, St Pancras International, any EES checks will be completed at the border, before you leave the UK. You may also be asked to provide either your fingerprint or photo when you exit the Schengen area.”

“If you frequently travel to the Schengen area for work and/or leisure purposes, you must ensure that your total stay in the Schengen area is no more than 90 days in every 180 days. You must be aware of the penalty and enforcement approach for exceeding the immigration limit in any individual Member State you plan to travel to, or through.”