Government reveals plan to stop flight cancellations amid airline fuel shortage

Airlines will be able to consolidate services on the same day to avoid leaving passengers stranded in the event of a jet fuel shortage, the government has said.

Ministers have unveiled a package of measures to reduce the risk of holidays being cancelled last minute, including by allowing carriers to hand back slots without the risk of losing them for the following season.

The latest move comes following discussions with representatives from both airlines and airports including Heathrow and Gatwick airports, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and easyJet.

Airline bosses have so far said they are not seeing supply issues and have visibility until at least the end of the month, despite the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

However contingency plans are being drawn up in the event the critical oil chokepoint remains closed over the summer.

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In a bid to keep air travel undisrupted, the government is planning to fast track legislation to give airlines more flexibility in how they plan their schedules.

This will allow them to ditch empty flights to conserve fuel and tweak their timetables to make better use of their fleets.

Carriers will be allowed to merge identical services operating on the same day without the risk of permanently losing valuable landing and takeoff slots.

Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, said: ‘Since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the government has been monitoring jet fuel supplies daily and working with airlines, airports and fuel suppliers to stay ahead of any problems.

‘There are no immediate supply issues, but we’re preparing now to give families long-term certainty and avoid unnecessary disruption at the departure gate this summer.

‘This legislation will give airlines the tools to adjust flights in good time if they need to, which helps protects passengers and businesses.

We will do everything we can to insulate our country from the impact of the situation it the Middle East.’

‘Airlines have a duty to look after their passengers’

He said: ‘Passengers in the UK are well protected by some of the strongest rights in the world, offering reassurance if disruption does occur.

‘Airlines have a duty to look after their passengers when they face disruption, and should offer a choice between a refund or alternative travel arrangements, including with another airline, if a flight is cancelled.

‘Relaxing the rules around slots at airports will allow airlines more flexibility and so we expect them to give passengers as much notice as possible of cancellations during this period.’
Karen Dee, chief executive of Airlines UK, said that while the sector was not currently reporting shortages, industry leaders were continuing to work with the Government in the event supplies are squeezed.

‘We will now work closely with our airport members, ministers and officials to examine the proposals and respond on the best way to proceed that will lead to the best outcomes for passengers’, she added.

The move was also backed by a group of MEPs who have urged the European Commission to temporarily introduce a continent-wide ban on non-essential private air travel.

Mr Polanski said: ‘This is a choice.

While ordinary people pay the price, the super rich are simply getting in their private jets at will – wasting huge amounts of jet fuel on unnecessary trips.’
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