Carriers operating from UK airports will be permitted to cancel flights weeks ahead of departure and shift travellers onto fewer aircraft this summer, under emergency contingency measures designed to shield the aviation network from a deepening jet fuel crunch triggered by the war on Iran.
The temporary rule change, confirmed by the Department for Transport (DfT) over the weekend, will allow airlines to consolidate services on routes where multiple flights operate to the same destination on the same day. Business travellers and holidaymakers booked on under-filled departures could be transferred to a similar service, sparing carriers the cost of dispatching half-empty aircraft and conserving increasingly precious supplies of kerosene.
Ministers say the move is intended to give passengers and corporate buyers “greater confidence” by enabling airlines to lock in schedules earlier, rather than leaving cancellations to the eleventh hour. The legislation is being introduced as a precaution amid mounting concern that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most strategically important oil chokepoint, will choke off Middle Eastern jet fuel supplies before the peak summer trading period.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander insisted there were “no immediate supply issues” but conceded the government was preparing for a prolonged disruption. “We’re preparing now to give families long-term certainty and avoid unnecessary disruption at the departure gate this summer,” she said. “This legislation will give airlines the tools to adjust flights in good time if they need to, which helps protect passengers and businesses.” Speaking to Trevor Phillips on Sky News, she added that she was “confident the majority of people who are travelling this summer will have a similar experience to that which they had last year”.
The intervention has, however, drawn fire from the Conservatives and consumer groups, who warn that corporate travellers and leisure passengers could be the ones picking up the tab. Shadow transport secretary Richard Holden said families who had already booked their summer breaks risked being “herded on to a different plane, at a time of the airline’s choosing”, and accused the government of leaving Britain “exposed to fuel supply risks that a properly energy-secure country would not face”.
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, warned that the reforms threatened to erode hard-won passenger protections. “Existing rules already allow airlines to move customers to new flights so long as they give them more than 14 days’ notice and offer the choice between a new flight or a refund,” he said. “It’s only for cancellations within 14 days that compensation is payable, rightly. It’s not fair for the rules to now be bent in favour of airlines and potentially leave passengers holding the bill.” He added that, while many travellers would tolerate flying a few hours later, the changes could prove ruinous for those on tight business trips or connecting itineraries. “Before any changes are made, passengers need cast-iron assurances that their rights will not be weakened and that airlines cannot use reform as cover to shift the cost of disruption on to travellers,” he said.
The British policy shift comes as the international airline industry begins to feel the financial squeeze of the conflict in earnest. Air India confirmed this week that it will axe 100 flights as soaring jet fuel costs and airspace restrictions across the subcontinent’s neighbouring regions render long-haul routes uneconomic. Chief executive Campbell Wilson said the carrier had already trimmed its international schedule for May, with further cuts now pencilled in for June and July. With the Strait of Hormuz still effectively shut, Wilson signalled that the situation was unlikely to improve in the near term.
For corporate travel managers, the message from Whitehall and the wider industry is unambiguous: greater flexibility on tickets, closer scrutiny of supplier cancellation policies and earlier booking patterns will be essential if business itineraries are to survive what is shaping up to be the most volatile summer for European aviation since the pandemic.