Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary says UK summer holidays are at risk as the Iran war sparks a jet fuel crisis, which could potentially force mass flight cuts by early June
Ryanair may need to cancel 10% of its flights this summer, its CEO has warned, if the Iran war continued to impact jet fuel prices.
The Iran war has had a global impact on fuel and energy prices as the Strait of Hormuz – a major waterway, through which a fifth of the world’s oil travels – remains largely shut.
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary spoke to ITV News on Thursday about the worrying situation. He said: “We’re all facing an unknown scenario. And we are certainly looking at maybe having to cancel 5%, 10% of flights through May, June and July.” If anyone does have their flight cancelled, O’Leary said they should blame Trump rather than the airline.
READ MORE: Five unhinged Donald Trump moments in Iran war update from ‘Stone Age’ threat to gas pricesREAD MORE: Major update on Brit gang boss Steven Lyons’ deportation after Bali Airport arrest
Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as your Preferred Source in your Google search settings.
Speaking to ITV News Economics Editor Joel Hills, O’Leary urged people to book flights for the summer sooner rather than later, to avoid rising costs. He said: “This has been a poorly judged attack on Iran, there doesn’t seem to be any exit plan at all.”
Speaking to SkyNews the Ryanair boss said: “”Fuel suppliers are constantly looking at the market. We don’t expect any disruption until early May, but if the war continues, we do run the risk of supply disruptions in Europe in May and June, and we hope the war will finish sooner than that and the risk to supply will be eliminated,” he told Sky News.
“We think there is a reasonable risk, some low level, maybe 10% to 25% of our supplies might be at risk through May and June, so like everyone else in this industry, we hope the war ends sooner rather than later.
“If the war finishes by April and the Strait of Hormuz reopens, then there is almost no risk to supply.”
It comes after UK airline Skybus, which operates daily flights between London Gatwick and Newquay, has been forced to cancel all flights due to the fuel crisis. Flights have been cancelled from Friday (April 3) due to the rising price of fuel and a drop in passenger numbers.
Skybus has been operating daily flights between London Gatwick and the seaside town of Newquay since November 2025 under a Public Service Obligation funded by Cornwall Council and the Department for Transport, which had been scheduled to run until May 31.
Skybus managing director Jonathan Hinkles said: “The huge rise in the global cost of fuel following the conflict in the Gulf, coupled with a significant drop in new passenger bookings since mid-February’s announcement of the planned closure of the PSO air route, forms an insurmountable barrier to the service continuing through April and May.
“At a time of great economic uncertainty and steps being taken to conserve energy worldwide, it is neither environmentally nor economically sound for us to continue flying with vastly reduced passenger numbers.” He thanked passengers, local stakeholders and the Skybus team for their support.
Follow our live blog for the latest Iran war updates by clicking here.
