Lufthansa cuts 20,000 summer flights as jet fuel prices surge

The Al-Zour refinery in Kuwait is noted as providing roughly 10% of Europe’s jet fuel imports, highlighting how Middle Eastern refinery capacity factors into European supply.

The International Energy Agency warned last week that Europe could run out of jet fuel in weeks, though the UK government and airlines say they are not seeing disruption in supply.

Airlines including KLM-France and Delta have temporarily cut some flights while others have raised ticket prices to pass on higher fuel costs, as part of industry responses to the fuel-price surge.

Jet fuel has doubled in price since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran as the conflict has slowed production and transportation across the Middle East. The Gulf accounts for about 50% of Europe’s jet fuel imports, with much of it moving through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively closed in response to US and Israeli attacks. The Al-Zour refinery in Kuwait provides roughly 10% of Europe’s jet fuel imports, according to Energy Intelligence.

Lufthansa said it will cut 20,000 short-haul flights over the summer to address higher jet-fuel prices, saving approximately 40,000 metric tons of jet fuel. The first 120 cuts were implemented on Tuesday, with routes including Frankfurt to Poland and Norway affected. Passengers will still have access to the global route network, particularly long-haul connections.

Lufthansa announced last week it would speed up the permanent closure of its CityLine European flight offering and retire 27 aircraft, citing significantly increased kerosene prices and additional burdens from labor disputes. This decision sets the backdrop for later actions affecting the European network.