Aer Lingus has cancelled flights from its summer schedule due to mandatory maintenance on aircraft and schedule adjustments, a spokesperson confirmed. The cancellations affect approximately 2% of Aer Lingus' overall schedule, the spokesperson said. According to documents seen by the Irish Independent, more than 500 Aer Lingus flights are being cut.
The cancellations affect flights from Dublin, Shannon, and Cork airports, multiple reports indicate. The affected routes include flights to five UK airports: Manchester, London Heathrow, Newcastle, Birmingham, and Edinburgh. In total, the cancellations affect flights to 30 destinations from this week through to mid-October, according to multiple reports.
The vast majority of affected passengers will be reaccommodated on same day services, the Aer Lingus spokesperson said. The exact number of passengers impacted has not been confirmed. The cancellations come amid broader concerns over jet fuel supply in Europe. Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, warned that Europe has maybe six weeks of jet fuel left due to the conflict in the Middle East affecting the Strait of Hormuz. Olivier Jankovec, director of Airports Council International Europe, said that if passage through the Strait of Hormuz does not resume in any significant and stable way within the next three weeks, systemic jet fuel shortage is set to become a reality for the EU. KLM and Lufthansa have reduced flight schedules due to rising fuel costs, according to multiple reports. Lufthansa has announced the immediate reduction of flight schedules. It remains unclear whether the jet fuel shortage will lead to further cancellations by Aer Lingus or other airlines.