With jet fuel remaining at record highs amid the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a number of airlines have started to cancel flights to run only the most profitable routes.

Delta Air Lines and Air Canada each trimmed six routes to different U.S. cities from their summer flying schedules, and Dutch flag carrier KLM canceled 160 flights initially scheduled between May and September 2026. Multiple other North American, European, and Asian airlines have also significantly adjusted their networks.

“Due to rising kerosene costs, [these route] are currently no longer financially viable to operate,” KLM said in a statement on the cancellations of the routes from Schiphol Airport.

Aer Lingus cancels more than 500 flights, says “passengers are being rebooked”

The latest carrier to reveal widespread route cuts is Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus. The airline confirmed reporting that it is canceling 500 flights, or roughly 2% of its summer schedule, scheduled for the coming months. But instead of directly naming jet fuel prices, an Aer Lingus spokesperson said the planes used to run these flights need to undergo “mandatory maintenance.”

The cancellations affect both short routes to nearby European cities and longer transatlantic flights. Many of the carrier’s routes to cities such as London, Manchester, Amsterdam, and Berlin have all been changed to run fewer times per week.

Related: Low-cost airline CEO gives stark warning about jet fuel

“Passengers are being rebooked on alternative flights the day before, the day after or offered other change or refunds,” Irish Travel Agents Association CEO Clare Dunne said in a statement. “Travel agents are as always working through these changes with their customers to ensure least possible disruption.”

Aer Lingus’ lack of elaboration on what “mandatory maintenance” means have led some to speculate on whether it might be downplaying the jet fuel situation or something else, such as the airline’s persistent pilot shortage. Unlike U.S. airlines, European carriers traditionally hedge their jet fuel needs at least a year in advance.

Aer Lingus is the Irish national airline.

What it means for you if airlines start canceling flights over jet fuel costs

Shutterstock Irish Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien told local news station RTÉ that the country’s jet fuel reserves are “robust” through partnerships with the U.S., including at least a 70-day reserve.

Even so, the widespread nature of the route cuts have sown concern among travelers that a domino effect of more cancellations will eventually follow.

  • Airline to launch unusual new flight to Cayman Islands from the U.S.
  • What you can expect at Disneyland’s new ‘World of Frozen’
  • Unexpected country is most luxurious travel destination for 2026
  • U.S. government issues strange warning on Ireland travel

More Travel News: At the start of April, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said that it and “all other airlines would have to start looking at canceling some flights or taking some capacity out” by the summer of 2026.

Last week, the International Energy Agency, which issues recommendations on global energy policy, also warned that multiple European countries could “start to face shortages of jet fuel in the next six weeks,” The Globe and Mail reported.

“I can tell you soon we will hear the news that some of the flights from City A to City B might be canceled as a result of lack of jet fuel,” Executive Director Fatih Birol said in an interview with the Associated Press.

Related: New U.S. travel advisory targets world’s safest countries