With jet fuel prices continuing to sit at highs unseen in years amid the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz, dozens of airlines have reworked their summer schedules to axe flights bringing in insufficient numbers of passengers.
Lufthansa recently scrapped 2,000 flights from its schedule between May and October while also shutting down its regional airline CityLine a year earlier than initially planned. Delta, United, Air Canada, Air France and Aer Lingus are among the many other major airlines to also trim routes.
Launched in 2021 with the goal of running low-cost transatlantic flights between European capitals and the United States, Norse Atlantic Airways has now become the latest to axe an entire market in response to the global oil crisis.
“This cancelation is due to the unforeseen global fuel crisis”: Norse Atlantic Airways
The Oslo-based airline confirmed that it is canceling all flights into Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) this summer; the airline has been flying to the city from the Norwegian capital since 2022 and added additional routes to the West Coast city from Berlin, Paris, Rome and Athens over the next four years.
“This cancelation is due to the unforeseen global fuel crisis, and we unfortunately with heavy heart had to cancel our beloved LAX routes with too high fuel risk exposure,” Norse said in a statement while also adding that not running the routes at current oil prices will protect the carrier’s “ability to remain a reliable service for our passengers this summer.”
Related: A remote part of Norway is becoming a key summer travel destination
Norse will continue to run its flights to New York’s JFK from cities including Oslo and London. Travelers who already booked travel through LAX over the summer will be contacted with refund and rebooking options.
While Norse is framing the canceled market as temporary for the summer, it has not committed to a return date. The airline has a fleet of 12 Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
Image source: Norse Atlantic Airways
Norse says it “will assist disrupted passengers as best we can”
“We are truly sorry for the inconvenience, and apologize to passengers who have [had] their travel plans changed,” Norse said further. “We will assist disrupted passengers as best we can.”
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Launched with a similar business model as a budget airline serving a specific market, Maldives-based BeOnd shut down for the summer entirely given both the cost of jet fuel and the security situation in the United Arab Emirates.
After the U.S.-Israeli strike on Iran, the airline lost a large portion of its market from both Middle Eastern countries and North Americans and Europeans who would pass through Dubai to take its airline to the small island nation in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
As a result, BeOnd canceled all of its flights to Malé from Dubai, Milan, Zürich, London, Paris from May and until a staggered resumption currently scheduled for October. The airline’s limited fleet of an Airbus A319 and A321 places limitations on its ability to redirect service to other destinations so BeOnd is instead choosing to shut down entirely in the hopes that the security situation changes.
Related: Another airline shuts down after losing license, all flights off
