Lufthansa has announced it will cancel 20,000 short-haul flights between May and October, as the global airline industry grapples with soaring jet fuel prices.
Lufthansa's aircrafts are parked at Frankfurt Airport, Germany, Thursday, April 16, 2026. (Hannes P. Albert/dpa via AP) (Image: AP)
German carrier Lufthansa has joined scores of airlines in axing flights on a massive scale over the coming months, scrapping 20,000 planned services from its schedule.
The German aviation giant will cut swathes of flights between May and October in a bid to conserve fuel, revealing the sweeping cancellations in a statement published on Tuesday (April 21).
"In total, 20,000 short-haul flights will be removed from the schedule through October, equivalent to approximately 40,000 metric tonnes of jet fuel, the price of which has doubled since the outbreak of the Iran conflict," a spokesperson for Lufthansa said in its online statement.
The statement continued: "The planned consolidation of the European network is being carried out across Lufthansa Group's six hubs in Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Vienna, Brussels, and Rome. Passengers will therefore continue to have access to the global route network, particularly long-haul connections."
"However, due to the increase in jet fuel prices, this will be achieved significantly more efficiently than before."
The German airline also scrapped approximately 120 daily flights with effect from Monday (April 20). The carrier's travel plans for the forthcoming summer months will be unveiled in "late April or early May", according to the airline's statement, and will feature "optimisations to the short-haul offering for the entire summer season, thereby ensuring schedule stability for the flight plan period".
This follows fears of flight cancellations due to rising jet fuel prices. (Image: Kirill Kudryavtsev/Getty Images)
The announcement from Europe's second busiest airline follows remarks made by the head of the International Energy Agency last week, who informed the Associated Press that Europe had "maybe six weeks of jet fuel left".
Consequently, numerous airlines are scrapping flights and implementing fresh charges as an escalating jet fuel crisis sends shockwaves across the global aviation sector.
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Lufthansa is amongst more than 30 carriers worldwide who say they have been compelled to axe flights or introduce charges as a consequence of Trump's war in Iran.
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