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Warning of flight cancellations and price hikes as jet fuel crisis hits
Airlines are cutting flights and raising fares as experts warn the shortage could disrupt summer travel and hit regional airports hardest.
Soaring jet fuel prices from the Iran war will force airlines to cancel flights and hike prices, with Scottish airports facing supply challenges over the coming months, leaving holidaymakers warned of a "nightmare" trip this summer.
The Strait of Hormuz, a key thoroughfare for fuel imports, has effectively closed due to the conflict, forcing reliance on Kuwait, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia instead of former local production at Grangemouth.
Lufthansa scrapped 20,000 short-haul flights last month as prices spiked; Professor John Underhill of Aberdeen University noted jet fuel supplies were protected for 40 days, while regional airports like Glasgow face delivery challenges.
Barrhead Travel managing director Nicki Tempest-Mitchell said summer demand remains "strong," with customers continuing to book with confidence as major tour operators provided "added certainty" by confirming no fuel surcharges.
Chris Greenwood of the Moffat Centre expects geopolitical disruption to "soften some long-haul demand," though Scotland benefits from a "trusted destination effect," while VisitScotland chief executive Vicki Miller called the situation "concerning and unpredictable.