UK flight cancellations begin as fuel costs soar and demand drops

Flight cancellations in the UK have begun, with Aurigny of Guernsey cancelling some flights from mid-April to early June as a result of the Iran war. The Channel Islands airline described the cuts as “proactive measures to address the impact of global instability”.

The carrier has also introduced a “temporary fuel adjustment surcharge” of £2 per sector on all new bookings. It will not be applied retrospectively.

Demand for flights is falling: down 13 per cent in May, according to the company. Aurigny has therefore cancelled some departures to and from Guernsey, and combined others.

Flights serving London City airport have been reduced, with affected passengers offered seats on London Gatwick services.

Links from Exeter and Bristol have been combined. As a result, some journeys from Bristol to Guernsey will be extended by an hour from the current 55 minutes. The airline says the move is aimed at “preserving the number of weekly frequencies whilst reducing excess seats”.

A planned increase in weekly flights between Paris and Guernsey has been deferred until June.

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Aurigny’s chief commercial officer, Philip Saunders, said: “While a small island community, we are not immune from the realities presented by the global travel ecosystem.

“Current global events are impacting consumer confidence and changing travel behaviours. Furthermore, significant increases in global oil prices are now filtering through to aviation.

“Unfortunately, we have to pass on some of the resulting costs to customers to ensure sustainable air services to and from Guernsey.

“Although there is some softening of demand for near-term travel, we are pleased to be observing strength from July onwards, as we welcome more UK holidaymakers back to our safe and beautiful islands.

“Overall, despite all these challenges, we expect a positive year for the Guernsey travel market.”

Passengers with itineraries affected by the changes are being contacted directly by the airline. They are being provisionally booked onto alternative departures, but can change to another flight up to five days earlier or later than the original. They can also claim a full refund.

British Airways is returning to Guernsey on 19 April, with a new summer service from London Heathrow.

In addition, Skybus has cancelled its future flights between Newquay in Cornwall and London Gatwick due to the rising price of fuel. The airline was operating the daily flights under a “Public Service Obligation” – with financial support from Cornwall Council. The current flight programme was scheduled to end on 31 May.

Managing director Jonathan Hinkles told the BBC “huge rise in the cost of fuel following the war in the Gulf” had been compounded by a “significant drop” in passenger bookings.

He said: “At a time of great economic uncertainty and steps being taken to conserve energy worldwide, it is neither environmentally nor economically sound for us to continue flying with vastly reduced passenger numbers.”

Ryanair flies from London Stansted to Newquay four times a week, and easyJet is due to begin a new twice-weekly service from Gatwick on 23 June.

On Wednesday Michael O’Leary, chief executive of Ryanair, warned some flights could be cancelled due to a shortage of fuel.

In its latest traffic figures for March, Ryanair’s “load factor” – the number of seats filled – remained unchanged at 93 per cent.

Read more: Could your holiday flight be cancelled due to lack of fuel – and will you have to pay extra?