Throughout April, Riskline closely tracked escalating tensions in the Middle East and disruptions tied to the Strait of Hormuz, which strained global fuel supply chains and created operational challenges for airlines and travellers worldwide.
Here is a summary of the key aviation and travel impacts observed during the month.
EMEA
- On 10 April, Air Peace warned of network-wide delays in Nigeria due to fuel scarcity.
- Lufthansa suspended parts of its CityLine operations from 18 April and later expanded cancellations on short-haul routes from Frankfurt and Munich through October.
- KLM reduced its service by 80 return flights in May to destinations including London and Düsseldorf.
- airBaltic suspended its Riga-Kaunas service from 7 May.
- Norse Atlantic Airways suspended several Los Angeles-London, Paris and Rome summer routes.
APAC
- Countries including the Philippines, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam experienced fuel shortages, price increases and transport disruptions.
- Qantas and Jetstar suspended several Australian domestic and regional routes between May and October.
- Greater Bay Airlines paused Hong Kong-Bangkok and Hong Kong-Phuket services from early May through at least September.
- Fiji Airways suspended its Nadi-Brisbane route from 25 April.
- Thai Vietjet and Thai Airways suspended routes from Bangkok to Kolkata, Fukuoka and Kaohsiung through late May and June.
- Air China paused its Chengdu-Kuala Lumpur service until 30 June.
- Virgin Australia suspended Alice Springs-Brisbane and Adelaide-Cairns routes from July and August.
- Solomon Airlines reduced frequencies across its network through June.
Americas
- Air Canada suspended several domestic and Canada-US routes, including Toronto-New York and Montreal-New York, from 1 June to 25 October.
- Delta Air Lines paused several summer routes from June through early September, including Boston-Nassau, Raleigh-Durham-Las Vegas and New York-Houston.
Key trends
- European airlines increasingly reduced short-haul and high-frequency services.
- Asian carriers focused more heavily on cutting international routes.
- US and Australian airlines adjusted domestic schedules ahead of the summer season.
- Airlines and travel managers faced growing concerns around fare increases, fuel surcharges and short-notice operational changes.
Travel organisations were advised to prioritise flexible bookings, alternative transport options and proactive traveller communication as disruptions continued evolving globally.
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