Ryanair boss warns of summer flight chaos as he admits airline will 'have to' cancel journeys

Dan McDonald
Thu, 02 Apr 2026 05:50:59 +0000

Ryanair's chief executive Michael O'Leary has warned that British holidaymakers could face summer flight cancellations as the conflict in Iran triggers concerns over jet fuel availability.

The budget airline boss identified Britain as the most exposed nation in Europe to potential supply disruptions - owing to the country's significant dependence on Middle Eastern fuel.

"Of all the European countries at the moment, the one that is most vulnerable is the UK, because [of] the market share that the Kuwaitis have here in the UK," Mr O'Leary said.

Britain sources a quarter of its jet fuel from Kuwait, leaving the aviation sector particularly susceptible to disruption following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which around a fifth of global oil typically flows.

Mr O'Leary revealed he had received guarantees that fuel supplies would remain stable through to mid-to-late May, though availability could diminish should the war extend into the summer.

"If this continues through to the end of April, we're looking at a risk to supplies in early June," he said.

"If it runs into May, then we don't know what the f*** goes on."

He also said he was conducting daily discussions with his fuel team, while Ryanair itself was being forced to reassess its flight schedule every week.

"We can handle, we think, the pricing issue, but if there's a risk to 10 or 20 per cent of the fuel supply in June or July or August, then we and all other airlines will have to start looking at cancelling some flights or taking some capacity out," Mr O'Leary added.

The crisis has sent jet fuel prices soaring to more than double their previous levels, with the fuel requiring more oil in the refining process than petrol or diesel.

Thousands of flights across the industry have already been grounded due to the disruption, worsening problems caused by the shutdown of major Middle Eastern travel hubs.

Korean Air chief executive Woo Kee-hong informed staff this week that the carrier had entered "emergency mode", whilst Lufthansa has prepared contingency measures that could see up to 40 aircraft, representing five per cent of its fleet, taken out of service.

The EU has called on citizens to reduce flying and driving to conserve fuel, and has even urged member states to contemplate emergency interventions.

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Labour ministers, however, have maintained that supplies remain plentiful and have advised the public to carry on as normal - for now.

Ryanair was forced to scrap its 12 daily services to Jordan when the conflict erupted.

But in the face of supply concerns, the carrier is pressing ahead with expansion plans, announcing five new routes from London.

Its destinations include the Italian cities of Forli and Parma, along with Glasgow, Malmo in Sweden and Wroclaw in Poland.

The budget airline has also raised its passenger target for the coming year to 216 million, an uplift of eight million compared with the previous year.

But Mr O'Leary acknowledged that should shortages present themselves, his airline would lack the ability to choose which services to cut, instead being forced to react to supply problems at individual airports.