Air Canada Cuts Routes as Jet Fuel Shortage Airlines Expand Cuts
Air Canada cut some routes and KLM canceled 80 return flights as jet fuel shortage airlines responded to rising fuel costs with schedule changes, fare increases, and wider suspensions. Travelers on affected Canada-U.S. and Europe routes are facing specific dates, not just higher prices, as carriers protect margins and trim flights that no longer make financial sense.
Air Canada’s June route cuts
Air Canada adjusted its schedule in April because of fuel prices, suspending some lower profitability routes and flights that were no longer economically feasible. The carrier affected some domestic routes in Canada and three routes between Canada and the U.S., including service from Salt Lake City to Toronto, which will end June 30 and resume in 2027.
Air Canada also said flights between New York’s JFK and Toronto, along with JFK and Montreal, will be suspended from June 1 to Oct. 25. For passengers booked on those routes, the practical consequence is a months-long gap in direct service rather than a one-off cancellation, with the longest disruption running through the fall travel period.
KLM’s 80 return flights
KLM announced in April that it would cancel 80 return flights to and from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol over the next month. The airline said the cuts covered a limited number of flights within Europe that were no longer financially viable to operate, even as it said there was no current shortage in fuel.
50 euros per round-trip flight was the fare increase Air France-KLM decided in March for long-haul tickets, after rising fuel prices pushed the group to lift prices for economy passengers. That leaves travelers with two separate costs from the same fuel shock: fewer seats on some routes and higher prices on others.
Fuel reserves and U.S. cancellations
Over 4,000 flights within, into, or out of the U.S. were canceled this week, according to Flight Aware data, adding pressure to a system already dealing with higher fuel costs. Higher prices have also contributed to the sudden shutdown of Spirit Airlines, while some experts say cancellations may become more frequent if jet fuel costs stay elevated.
In April, Fatih Birol of the International Energy Agency said Europe had “maybe six weeks or so” of jet fuel reserves remaining if the Strait of Hormuz didn’t open. Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at Gas Buddy, said, “Once inventories fall below that threshold, physical shortages at airports — not just higher prices — become a real possibility.”
Europe’s 23-day line
Goldman Sachs analysts predicted that European jet fuel inventories could fall below a 23-day threshold of reserves sometime in June. If that level is reached, the market signal is no longer just expensive fuel; it is the point at which airport supply problems become a working risk, especially in Europe and parts of Asia where the shortage is hitting hardest.
Airlines have already suspended flights to Middle Eastern airports after the war in Iran began, and carriers are expanding those cancellations to manage costs amid persistently high fuel prices. For travelers, the near-term takeaway is straightforward: check the specific route, the exact travel window, and whether the airline has shifted service into a later season or a different year.
