Brussels Airlines sees no flight cancellations 'for now' amid Middle East tensions

Brussels Airlines volition not cancel flights "at the moment" contempt imaginable pitchy substance shortages linked to the ongoing Middle East struggle and disruption successful the Strait of Hormuz, a spokesperson told Euronews.

With mounting fears of summertime formation cancellations, the Belgian hose said 80% of its jet substance needs for 2026 are covered.

However, this measurement was purchased done the company's hedging strategy, which involves buying kerosene successful beforehand adjacent if the hose does not presently clasp the afloat carnal supply.

"It is important to enactment that it is simply a fiscal tool, which means the terms has been acceptable astatine pre-crisis levels. It’s not the existent carnal acquisition of the kerosene," a Brussels Airlines spokesperson said.

Both hedging and pitchy substance purchases are centrally managed by the Lufthansa Group, which owns respective aerial carriers, including Brussels Airlines.

A Lufthansa Group spokesperson said the institution does not expect disruptions to kerosene proviso implicit the adjacent six weeks, noting that this timeline is modular since substance suppliers supply proviso accusation six weeks ahead.

"Global request for aerial question remains precocious and has proven resilient adjacent successful times of crisis. Against this backdrop, the Lufthansa Group is erstwhile again expecting a beardown summertime question season," a Lufthansa Group spokesperson told Euronews.

Trying to mitigate the precocious costs of jet fuel, which person accrued by astir 150% since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Brussels Airlines announced successful April that it volition soon extremity the escaped hand-luggage allowance for passengers connected short- and medium-haul flights**.**

The caller basal fare volition see lone 1 idiosyncratic item, specified arsenic a laptop container oregon tiny rucksack**.** Passengers who privation to bring a modular carry-on container weighing up to 8kg volition beryllium required to wage an other fee.

While airlines person been complaining astir imaginable formation cancellations amid substance proviso disruption, European Union officials support that no pitchy substance shortages person been reported crossed the EU27, adjacent aft the International Energy Agency has warned past period that aviation substance was capable for astir different six weeks.

EU officials mulling caller strategical reserves

Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas precocious argued that formation cancellations registered truthful acold "have thing to do" with substance shortages but alternatively with airlines' ain deficiency of profitability.

Nonetheless, the European Commission concedes that if the geopolitical disruption persists beyond the extremity of May, EU officials and manufacture representatives person discussed a imaginable coordinated merchandise of exigency reserves.

"While EU exigency stocks tin beryllium released if needed, experts underlined the value of coordinating specified releases astatine the EU level and of matching them with capable demand-side measures to execute effectual results," reads a Commission connection dated 7 May.

No substance could beryllium a unit majeure, Commission says

The quality betwixt precocious pitchy substance prices and substance shortages, however, could beryllium a interest for passengers, who fearfulness their flights volition beryllium cancelled.

According to the EU executive, precocious substance prices are not considered unit majeure for airlines to cancel flights, whereas a deficiency of substance could be.

"If we past get into a concern wherever airports oregon airlines are experiencing pitchy substance shortages, it tin beryllium considered an bonzer circumstance," Commission spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen said connected 8 May.

However, the Commission whitethorn deficiency capable information to beryllium that airlines are experiencing fuel shortages, arsenic they are not obliged to disclose the magnitude of substance they procure, adjacent if they are participating successful the EU's wide coordination effort, Itkonen said.

Nonetheless, the EU enforcement said that "obviously determination has to beryllium proof" that airlines are dealing with substance shortages if they usage specified an statement to cancel flights.

The Commission recognised the "lack of transparency" connected the improvement of stocks from antithetic actors but noted that the EU has a "full overview" of subordinate states' substance availability — highlighting a cardinal favoritism betwixt commercialized stocks, owned by backstage entities, and strategical reserves, owned by EU countries.