Airlines around the world are already scrapping flights and adding extra charges after prices roughly doubled in the wake of the conflict, prompting fears of travel misery for millions of holidaymakers.
Earlier this week, the UK prime minister even suggested people may have to change “where they go on holiday” if the crisis in the Middle East continues and the Strait of Hormuz does not reopen.
Now, ministers have announced they will ease restrictive “use it or lose it” flight slots, which they say will help prevent last-minute cancellations for long-anticipated summer holidays, according to GB News.
The move will allow airlines to cancel and merge flights – many of which, such as business flights, run on less popular routes during the summer – without suffering a penalty, thereby reducing demand for aviation fuel and preserving it for holiday flights.
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said the government would “do everything we can to insulate our country from the impact of the situation in the Middle East”.
“The government has been monitoring jet fuel supplies daily and working with airlines, airports and fuel suppliers to stay ahead of any problems,” she said.
MNA
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