Britons warned of more flight cancellations as jet fuel prices soar

TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say Skybus axed its Newquay to Gatwick service just ahead of the bank holiday weekend. Jonathan Hinkles, the airline's managing director, pointed to a huge rise in the cost of fuel following the war in the Gulf combined with a significant drop in passenger bookings.Channel Islands operator Aurigny has announced it will scale back frequencies on its Guernsey to London City route while merging its Exeter and Bristol services. Flights to Paris will similarly be reduced.Nico Bezuidenhout, Aurigny's chief executive, attributed the cuts to kerosene prices doubling since US and Israeli forces struck Iran on February 28, alongside an unexpected decline in bookings.I've been through a couple of fuel crises and you can do one of two things: transfer that cost burden to the consumer, or reduce costs by consolidating flights, as we've chosen to do, he said.The Guernsey-based carrier has hedged between 20 and 50 per cent of its near-term fuel requirements, leaving it significantly more exposed than British Airways, which has secured 70 per cent of its needs.Aurigny introduced a £2 surcharge on tickets, but Mr Bezuidenhout acknowledged that far steeper increases would have been required to maintain all services. The island's market simply could not bear such rises.Toby Parkins, president of the Cornish Chamber of Commerce, expressed concern about Newquay airport's financial outlook.LATEST DEVELOPMENTSShips pass through Strait of Hormuz for first time since Donald Trump halted Iran strikesLeon declares 'the high street is dead' as Labour ‘kills the restaurant industry' with crippling tax burdenState pension age rise to cost British workers £4,000He told the BBC that Skybus paid landing fees of £2,000 compared with just £600 from larger budget carriers, meaning the income into the airport is going to be considerably down.Higher air passenger duty introduced at the start of April, together with increased EU passenger compensation requirements, will compound the difficulties for regional operators attempting to weather fuel-related costs, Mr Bezuidenhout warned.Short-haul domestic routes face particular challenges because flights lasting an hour or less carry substantial fixed costs without the benefit of profitable long-haul services to offset losses, unlike larger network carriers.Despite the turbulent market conditions, British Airways confirmed it will proceed with launching Heathrow to Guernsey flights on April 19, with fares set at approximately £70 each way.Mr Bezuidenhout noted that while fuel shortages affecting parts of Asia following the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz have not yet reached Britain, he would not rule out such disruptions materialising.It's becoming progressively tougher to do business for anybody active in the short-haul, domestic market in the UK, he said.Yet regional carriers provide literally lifeline connectivity to communities that would otherwise be cut off from main economic centres.Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter