KLM cuts 80 return flights as Wizz Air faces fuel pressure
KLM cancelled more than 150 European flights and will not operate 80 return flights out of Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport over the next month as rising kerosene costs pushed the routes beyond what the airline said it can justify financially. The cuts land as Wizz Air and other carriers face the same fuel squeeze, with KLM moving first on schedule reductions rather than fares alone.
The airline said the flights are currently no longer financially viable to operate. For passengers booked on the affected routes, that means itinerary changes are already moving through the system, with the reductions spread across Europe and tied to a one-month window.
KLM Schiphol cuts
KLM’s decision covers more than 150 European flights and 80 return flights from Schiphol over the next month. The airline linked the cancellations directly to rising jet fuel costs, saying those expenses have made the flights too expensive to keep in service.
That puts a concrete number on the pressure airlines have been describing for weeks. Instead of absorbing the full cost of higher fuel, KLM has trimmed flying from one of Europe’s busiest hubs and cut routes that no longer work on its current cost base.
Fuel costs across airlines
The wider industry is under similar strain. United’s chief executive said the airline may need to raise fares by as much as 20 per cent, while Lufthansa’s airline group cancelled 20,000 flights to protect its airlines from the soaring cost of oil.
The European Commission has also moved on the supply side, proposing measures in a package called AccelerateEU to address the impact on the region's energy markets from the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. The commission said the package includes optimising the distribution of jet fuel between EU countries in order to avoid shortages.
Rising kerosene costs
Fuel prices have roughly doubled since the outbreak of the Iran war, according to the report. It also said jet fuel costs have rocketed amid a global shortage caused by conflict in the Middle East, which helps explain why airlines are reducing flights rather than simply adjusting prices.
For travellers, KLM’s move is the immediate signal to watch: a one-month cut in flying out of Schiphol, with more than 150 European flights already cancelled and 80 return trips not operating. The practical next step is to check whether a booked route sits inside that reduced schedule, because KLM has already moved from warning about costs to removing flights from the timetable.
