The head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has warned that **higher ticket prices for air travellers in Europe are “inevitable”** due to the escalating cost of jet fuel.<\/p>\n
Despite some airlines recently cutting European fares to stimulate demand, Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general, stated that carriers cannot indefinitely absorb the additional operational costs. He expressed ongoing concern about potential fuel shortages for the UK industry over the summer, though he emphasized there was no need for panic. Walsh noted that even if the Strait of Hormuz were to reopen immediately, the ripple effects of disruptions caused by the **Middle East conflict** could persist into next year.<\/p>\n
A UK government spokesperson affirmed that British airlines are “clear that they are not currently seeing a shortage of jet fuel.” Similarly, the EU’s energy commissioner, Dan Jorgensen, indicated on Wednesday that he does not anticipate a serious short-term shortage but could not rule out longer-term supply issues. Sebastien Ebel, chief executive of travel operator Tui, also stated he did not expect shortages in the coming months.<\/p>\n
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime choke point, as a result of the **regional conflict**, has dramatically impacted jet fuel prices and sparked concerns about potential shortages in the months ahead. Europe, and the UK in particular, are typically highly dependent on imports from the region and have been actively seeking alternative supplies. For instance, last week, the EU confirmed there was no regulatory barrier to European airlines using US-grade jet fuel, provided its introduction is carefully managed.<\/p>\n
Walsh highlighted particular concerns for UK operators, citing “timing” as a major issue. He explained that July and August typically see a **25% increase in flights and fuel requirements** compared to March. “The concern will be that if sufficient alternative supply isn’t sourced, there may be some shortages when we get into the peak summer period,” he cautioned. However, he reiterated that widespread flight cancellations could be avoided and there was no reason to panic.<\/p>\n
The surge in fuel prices has already led to **significant increases in the cost of long-haul flights**. While some European fares have temporarily decreased due to airlines offering discounts to attract hesitant travellers, Walsh insisted this situation is unsustainable. “There’s just no way airlines can absorb the additional costs they’re experiencing,” he stated, adding that it is “inevitable that the high price of oil will be reflected in higher ticket prices” over time. He further explained that disruptions to crude oil supplies and damage to refining facilities in the Gulf mean fuel prices are unlikely to decline rapidly, even if the Strait of Hormuz reopens now. “Whichever way you look at it, I think this issue will continue for a number of months to come, and may indeed continue into next year,” he concluded.<\/p>\n
A government spokesperson added that fuel suppliers maintain “stocks of bunkered fuel to support their resilience,” and that the government is collaborating with the aviation industry to ensure flights continue operating. They are also consulting on “measures to help airlines plan realistic flight schedules which will avoid last-minute disruption and protect holidays.”<\/p>\n
#AviationNews #EuropeTravel #AirFares #JetFuel #MiddleEastConflict #TravelIndustry #UKTravel #FuelPrices #AirlineIndustry #EconomicImpact<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has warned that **higher ticket prices for air travellers in Europe are “inevitable”** due to the escalating cost of jet fuel. Industry Leader’s Outlook Despite some airlines recently cutting European fares to stimulate demand, Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general, stated that carriers cannot indefinitely absorb the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8070,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8069","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-iran_news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8069","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8069"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8069\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8070"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8069"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8069"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanak.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8069"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}