SAS, Air NZ cancel thousands of flights due to fuel prices, others may follow 

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) is cancelling around 1,000 flights in April 2026 due to the surge in oil prices caused by the ongoing war in the Middle East, according to reports in the Swedish media. The Nordic airline has also cancelled several hundred flights during the month of March 2026. 

Most of these cancellations are reportedly on short haul routes within Norway and the carrier’s home region of Scandinavia, where alternative means of transportation are usually available and profit margins tend to be thinner. 

To put the scale of these cuts to context over a month-long period, SAS usually operates around 800 flights per day. 

The international price of jet fuel used by airlines has nearly doubled since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, 2026. The market for oil and refined products is expected to remain under pressure for some time, since the Iranian response to those attacks has been to target oil refining facilities in the Gulf region as well as tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz. 

Besides the indirect effect through fuel prices, SAS has very limited direct exposure to the Middle East. The Scandinavian carrier was planning to launch a new route linking Copenhagen (CPH) to Dubai Al Maktoum Airport (DWC) using Airbus A320neo aircraft. The new service was, in principle, going to run seasonally, from October 25, 2026, through March 27, 2027, although it is now unclear whether this will happen. 

Another airline that has announced flight cuts due to fuel price hikes is Air New Zealand. The Kiwi airline stated on March 12, 2026, that it would trim around 5% of its scheduled flights in the weeks through May. The measure, which has also been attributed to the fuel price increase, will affect some 1,100 flights in total. 

The possibility of further service disruption is looming in other parts of the Asia-Pacific region, particularly after China and Thailand restricted fuel exports. Vietnam Airlines, for example, warned that it may cancel flights soon, while Qantas, Cathay Pacific, AirAsia and Thai Airways have all announced fare hikes in response to rising fuel prices.

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