Aviation analytics company Cirium said as of Tuesday, airlines have axed 296 departures from UK airports this month.
Airlines have increased the number of flight cancellations for May, new figures show, amid high jet fuel prices and fears of shortages.
Aviation analytics company Cirium said that as of Tuesday, airlines have axed 296 departures from UK airports this month, equivalent to 0.75% of the total.
That is up from 120 cancellations six days ago.
Figures for the peak summer months show week-on-week schedule reductions are currently limited.
The number of outbound flights planned for June is 48 lower than a week ago, after 0.2% of flights were cancelled.
For July the week-on-week reduction is 31, while the figure for August is just four.
Airlines avoid being liable for compensation if they axe a flight with at least two weeks’ notice, meaning they can delay decisions on summer cancellations and still avoid payouts.
The price of jet fuel has more than doubled since the start of the war in the Middle East, as Iran continues to have a stranglehold on tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Several airlines have trimmed their schedules because of the issue.
In Europe, Lufthansa’s airline group announced in April it would cancel 20,000 flights over the following six months to save fuel.
KLM and Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) have also been affected.
Last week, British Airways’ parent company IAG warned its profits will be hit as it expects to spend about two billion euros (£1.72 billion) more than planned on fuel this year.
Chief executive Luis Gallego said IAG does not believe there will be “any interruption for the summer” in terms of jet fuel supplies.
Earlier this month, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said summer holiday plans will not face major disruption because of shortages.
She revealed that more fuel has been imported from America, and UK refineries have upped their production.
The Government has also introduced a temporary rule change allowing airlines to group passengers from different flights together on to fewer planes to save fuel.
