Europe is facing a major jet fuel crisis with experts warning supplies could run dangerously low within weeks. The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has sparked fears over oil shipments travelling through the Strait of Hormuz - one of the world's most important energy routes.

Industry chiefs now fear airlines could be forced into even more drastic cuts if the situation worsens. The International Energy Agency has warned Europe may only have around six weeks of jet fuel supply remaining. Fatih Birol, executive director of the agency, described the situation as "the largest energy crisis we have ever faced". He warned flight cancellations could increase "soon" if oil supplies continue to be restricted. A number of major airlines have already started slashing routes, grounding aircraft and cutting back on summer schedules. Passengers are now being warned to expect disruption, fewer available seats and rising ticket prices. The crisis has also left airlines facing soaring fuel bills running into tens of millions of pounds.

Here are the 10 major airlines already announcing cancellations and flight cuts:

-SAS - The Scandinavian carrier has cancelled 1,000 flights in April as it battles rising fuel costs.

-United Airlines - The US airline plans to cancel 5% of flights during the second and third quarters of 2026.

-KLM - The Dutch airline has cancelled 160 flights for the coming month amid fuel pressures.

-Cathay Pacific - The Hong Kong-based carrier is grounding around 2% of its scheduled passenger flights.

-HK Express - Cathay Pacific's budget airline is cutting around 6% of services.

-Asiana Airlines - The South Korean airline will slash 22 flights between April and July because of the increase in jet fuel costs.

-Lufthansa - Germany's biggest airline group is grounding 27 planes servicing its CityLine short-haul subsidiary earlier than planned.

-Air New Zealand - The airline expects around 1,100 flights to be impacted over the next two months.

-Norse Atlantic Airways - The low-cost carrier has removed all Los Angeles flights from its summer schedule.

- Vietnam Airlines - The airline plans to cancel 23 domestic flights per week from April.

EasyJet has said it does not expect any immediate fuel supply issues, despite soaring oil prices linked to the Middle East conflict.

Javier Gándara, the airline's CEO for Spain and Portugal, said producers and airports believe there will be no shortages for the next three or four weeks.

He said: "Beyond that, it's difficult to see. In Spain, we are in a comparatively better situation than neighbouring countries."

However, he warned: "No one will be immune to potential supply problems."

Rob Brooks, a holiday expert and insider for travel firm On The Beach, posted a video over the weekend setting out precisely what the fuel crisis means for the majority of Brits planning their summer getaways.

He said: "Yes, some flights are being cancelled. But it's not because planes can't fly, or destinations are unsafe.

"It's because, in some cases, it's become too expensive to fly certain routes for airlines. When fuel prices spike like this, the airlines have a choice: they can either run the flight and lose money, or they can cancel it. And occasionally, they choose to cancel it."

Mr Brooks went on to explain that many airlines don't actually purchase fuel at current prices, instead using a practice known as "fuel hedging", whereby they have already locked in fuel prices months, and sometimes years, ahead of time.

He added: "So while, yes, fuel prices are rising right now, a lot of airlines are protected from that, especially for summer 2026 at least.

"Airlines like Ryanair and easyJet are well-known for hedging a big chunk of their fuel early, so they're not suddenly scrambling or cancelling loads of flights overnight.

"The airlines that are most affected are the ones that chose not to hedge their fuel."