Airlines worldwide have removed roughly two million seats from May schedules as surging jet-fuel prices—driven by the Strait-of-Hormuz closure—bite. According to Cirium data cited by The Guardian on 5 May, German flag-carrier Lufthansa will cut 20,000 short-haul flights, mostly operated by its CityLine unit, between May and October. Munich is among the two airports with the steepest capacity drop globally. The cancellations amount to about 11 % of summer capacity at Frankfurt and Munich hubs and come on top of strike-related disruptions in April. Analysts say they could save the group 40,000 tonnes of jet fuel but will squeeze domestic connectivity just as rail operators are nearing saturation. Corporate travel buyers face immediate budget headaches: advance-purchase fares on the remaining rotations have risen 18 % week-on-week, and re-booking options are limited because slot-waiver rules allow rivals to drop flights too. Mobility managers are advising travellers to lock in itineraries early and to consider virtual meetings for day-trip routes such as Frankfurt–Hamburg. EU regulators are watching the situation closely; Brussels granted airlines temporary flexibility to consolidate multiple daily flights on the same route to conserve fuel, raising the prospect of further short-notice cancellations.
Source: The Guardian
