EasyJet Slashes Thousands of Winter Flights Amid Rising Fuel Costs
The budget airline will remove up to 1.4 million seats from its winter schedule due to increased aviation fuel expenses.
EasyJet is cutting thousands of flights from its winter schedule as aviation fuel costs continue to surge, following similar actions by its low-cost rivals. The airline is removing between 600,000 and 700,000 seats from its winter schedule, adding to the approximately 700,000 seats removed earlier in the year. This brings the total reduction in seats for the winter season to between 1.3 million and 1.4 million.
Kenton Jarvis, EasyJet's chief executive, stated that capacity is being reduced across the industry due to climbing fuel prices. The surge in jet fuel costs is attributed to disruptions in the supply chain following the outbreak of a Middle East war in February, which impacted transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
The jet fuel crisis is reshaping the global aviation sector, prompting major European carriers to either maintain capacity levels or reduce them in anticipation of the typically less profitable winter season. EasyJet has not yet released details on the specific routes affected, the number of UK services impacted, or how many of the removed seats had already been sold.
Other budget carriers have also implemented schedule adjustments. Ryanair announced in September it would lower its 2027 traffic target to 214 million passengers from 216 million. Jet2 also stated on September 4 that it would offer 200,000 fewer seats this winter.
An EasyJet spokesperson commented that the company, like all airlines, regularly reviews its schedule and makes adjustments when necessary. The spokesman emphasized that the changes to the winter flying program represent a small fraction of the overall schedule and that modifications are made in advance, often affecting flights with multiple daily frequencies, allowing customers to be easily rebooked on alternative flights.
The rising cost of flight tickets is a growing concern in the industry. Michael O'Leary, chief executive of Ryanair, recently expressed his belief that airfares will increase significantly over the next year due to higher oil prices and geopolitical events. He anticipates fares will rise materially into the summer of 2027, though the exact extent remains to be seen.