French airline cancels flights over fuel shortage fears

Low-cost airline Transavia is to cancel up to 2% of its scheduled flights across May and June due to the impact of high jet fuel prices. 

The decision has been made in light of a looming crisis in the aviation sector caused by jet fuel prices, it confirmed.

Jet fuel prices have more than doubled since last year due to the conflict in the Middle East and a backlog of shipments unable to exit the strait of Hormuz. 

The strait is responsible for around 40% of Europe’s jet fuel supply, and the sustained closure has led to fears of an impending shortage.

Transavia’s parent company Air France is taking a different approach to the crisis, with surcharges of up to €100 on tickets for long-haul routes to compensate for higher costs. 

Industry leaders are warning of a looming summer crisis, with travellers impacted by both increasing prices and route cancellations. 

However, others say popular routes should be protected.

Passengers notified, no compensation

“Customers affected by a cancellation are being notified individually by SMS and email,” the company told AFP, without specifying exact routes impacted.

Passengers intending to fly with the company should check their spam folders regularly, in case messages accidentally end up there.

The majority of routes “will be rescheduled within 24 hours,” the company said, and passengers will be able to “benefit… from a free rescheduling, a voucher, or a full refund of their ticket.” 

However, they will not receive additional compensation for the cancellation, due to European rules on ‘extraordinary circumstances’.

As the low-cost arm of the Air-France KLM group, Transavia specialises in short-haul flights across Europe with more than 100 destinations served.