UK Mandates Early Flight Cancellations and Slot Flexibility to Mitigate Jet Fuel Shortage Risks

The UK government announced plans on Sunday morning to protect summer holidays from disruptions caused by potential jet fuel shortages, following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Under the new measures, airlines serving the UK must cancel flights sooner rather than later if facing jet fuel shortages, to avoid last-minute cancellations.

Carriers can cancel flights without losing slots at key aviation hubs including London airports, Birmingham, Bristol, and Manchester if shortages loom.

The government developed these contingency measures allowing carriers to temporarily return unused slots while preserving rights for the following year. Britain's four refineries have been requested to boost jet fuel production. The UK government is investigating options to import additional jet fuel supplies from America.

Airlines UK Chief Executive Tim Alderslade stated the plan would allow carriers to 'avoid unnecessary flying and continue operating as efficiently as possible while protecting connectivity for passengers and trade'. Carriers must use allocated airport slots at least 80 per cent of the time during a season or risk losing them.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has blocked jet fuel supplies from reaching Britain.

Britain imports roughly 65 per cent of its jet fuel, with a substantial portion typically arriving from the Middle East. The International Energy Agency warned that Europe could face jet fuel shortages by June unless alternative sources are secured. The Strait of Hormuz closed following US-Israeli attacks on Iran over the past two months and Iranian retaliation, disrupting oil exports.

Anne planned an extended family trip to Crete in July. She bought easyJet tickets for the trip in early January. Anne paid a £6,000 deposit to the hotel for the trip, with the remaining £6,000 payment due at the beginning of June.

Anne's party consists of 11 people. Anne contacted her travel insurers regarding the trip. Travel insurers stated they do not cover acts of war. EasyJet intends to fly its full schedule. Under air passengers’ rights rules, airlines must transport passengers and return them as close to the original schedule as possible if flights are canceled.

Passengers whose flights are severely delayed or cancelled are entitled to rebooking, refund, food, drink, and overnight accommodation under existing rules. Airlines have lobbied for fuel shortages to be designated as extraordinary circumstances to exempt them from payouts.

The European Commission indicated carriers may avoid paying compensation if they prove disruption resulted directly from fuel shortages and all reasonable steps were taken.

Lufthansa operates 10 flights a day from London Heathrow to Frankfurt. There are 14 flights a day between Manchester and London Heathrow. There are 12 flights a day linking Newcastle with London. The Qantas London-Perth flight covers over 9,000 miles.

Premium-economy passengers starting journeys in Inverness avoid air passenger duty, while those in Aberdeen pay £253. Simon Calder has been writing about travel for The Independent since 1994.