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Air Canada has suspended service on six different routes, both domestic and cross-border, as the war in the Middle East drives up fuel costs.
“Jet fuel prices have doubled since the start of the Iran conflict, affecting some lower profitability routes and flights which now are no longer economically feasible,” the airline said in a statement on Friday.
“Schedule adjustments including some frequency reductions are being made in response.”
Domestically, the route between Fort McMurray, Alta., and Vancouver is suspended effective May 28, Air Canada said. The Yellowknife to Toronto route is suspended effective Aug. 30.
Air Canada will temporarily suspend service from Salt Lake City to Toronto starting June 30, “with plans to resume in 2027,” the airline added.
Flights from Toronto and Montreal to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport will be suspended temporarily starting June 1, with plans to resume Oct. 25, Air Canada said.
Those cuts affect one flight from Montreal and three from Toronto, the airline said, noting that Air Canada will still offer 34 daily flights between Canada and LaGuardia Airport in New York and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
Planning an international trip this summer? The International Energy Agency warns Europe may run out of jet fuel in six weeks due to the global energy supply crunch amid war in the Middle East. Werner Antweiler, associate professor at UBC’s Sauder School of Business, spoke to BC Today host Michelle Eliot. He said people travelling to Asia and Europe, where countries rely on Middle East oil, should plan for flight cancellations while there.
Lastly, a route that had been planned from Guadalajara, Mexico, to Montreal is now suspended, Air Canada said.
“Affected customers will be contacted with alternate travel options,” the airline said.
The total impact to Air Canada’s planned capacity is roughly one per cent of annual available seat miles, it added.
Fuel prices have more than doubled
The Air Canada announcement comes as air travel is facing an unprecedented fuel crisis. With the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran stretching past the six-week mark, fuel prices have more than doubled and costs are starting to be passed on to consumers.
WestJet announced earlier this month it would be consolidating flights on several lower-demand routes, reducing its capacity by one per cent in April and three per cent in May.
On Thursday, the head of the International Energy Agency said Europe has “maybe six weeks or so” of remaining jet fuel supplies and warned of possible flight cancellations if oil supplies remain blocked by the Iran war.
The Current13:15Skyrocketing airfares may be here to stay
Air travel is getting more expensive.. A global jet fuel crunch, driven by conflict in the Middle East, is pushing up costs and starting to disrupt supply in parts of the world. Airlines are already adjusting — raising fares, adding fees, and in some cases, cutting routes. John Gradek, an aviation lecturer at McGill University, explains what’s driving the spike, what it means for your summer travel plans, and why higher prices could stick around even if the crisis eases.
John Gradek, a faculty lecturer on aviation management at McGill University in Montreal, told CBC News earlier this week that we’re in the midst of the worst crisis we’ve ever had in aviation and that even if the Strait of Hormuz reopens, it could take years to fix the region’s refining capacity.
“And without fuel, you can’t fly,” Gradek said.
Air Canada, WestJet, Porter Airlines and Air Transat have all recently announced plans to either increase fares or add a surcharge to try to offset the rising cost of fuel.
Iran’s foreign affairs minister announced on Friday that passage for all commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is completely open following a 10-day ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon reached on Thursday, but U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. naval blockade on Iran will remain in place until a deal with Tehran is struck.
Oil prices tumbled 10 per cent after Iran’s announcement, which would allow oil tankers to exit the Persian Gulf again and carry crude to customers worldwide.
