Lufthansa cuts 20,000 flights as fuel prices soar and travel crisis deepens

Lufthansa cuts 20,000 flights as fuel prices soar and travel crisis deepens'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 airline announcedCommentsNewsRachel Vickers-Price UK and World News Reporter03:38, 22 Apr 2026Updated 03:42, 22 Apr 2026View 3 ImagesMajor airlines have axed flights due to the conflict in Iran causing jet fuel prices to skyrocket(Image: AP)European airline Lufthansa joined dozens of airlines in cancelling flights en masse in the coming months, with the German airliner dumping 20,000 planned journeys from its schedule in the coming months.‌The move has shaped up to be one of the largest cancellations of planned flights by a global airline, as the travel crisis deepens and jet fuel prices skyrocket.‌The German titan of the skies will dump swathes of flights between May and October to save fuel, revealing the mass cancellations in a statement released 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.View 3 ImagesThis follows fears of flight cancellations due to rising jet fuel prices.(Image: Kirill Kudryavtsev/Getty Images)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 cancelled about 120 daily flights as of Monday (April 20).The plan for travel during the coming summer months...