Turkey’s state-owned airline, Turkish Airlines, has decided to cancel 18 international routes over the coming months due to rising fuel costs and the tense situation in certain parts of the world, highlighting the growing pressures and challenges facing the global aviation industry.
The Turkish airline has begun to cancel unprofitable international routes in the face of rising jet fuel prices caused by the conflict in the Middle East. The sharp rise in fuel prices – with the price of a barrel of kerosene rising from $90 to $185 – has placed the world’s major airlines in a difficult position, forcing them to temporarily suspend or even completely cancel high-cost routes, whilst other airlines are opting to implement price rises to try to offset the losses.
The impact of fuel prices on the sector is being felt by airlines worldwide. The Malaysian airline AirAsia X has announced that it will cancel approximately 10% of its flights, whilst Air Canada plans to cut four of its 38 daily connections to New York. For its part, Air France-KLM plans to raise fares on long-haul flights to offset the increased cost of kerosene, and its subsidiary KLM has already announced that it will cancel 160 flights in Europe scheduled for May.
Against this backdrop, with global aviation facing a scenario of operational adjustments, Turkish Airlines, considered the airline that flies to the most countries in the world, has also begun to prepare measures to mitigate the impact of the crisis by announcing the gradual suspension of its flights to 18 international destinations during the second quarter of 2026: changes that will begin to be implemented progressively from May and June, and which also include some adjustments for the winter of 2026–2027.
Flights to Havana (Cuba) and Hurghada (Egypt) suspended
Turkish media reported that the destinations affected by this suspension of flights include Aqaba, Billund, Bissau, Fergana, Freetown, Havana, Hurghada, Juba, Kinshasa, Kirkuk, Leipzig/Halle, Libreville, Luanda, Lusaka, Monrovia, Najaf, Pointe-Noire and Turkestan. Some routes will be cancelled entirely, whilst others will be suspended temporarily for the time being.
For example, the last flight by Turkish Airlines to Hurghada (Egypt) is scheduled for 2 June 2026, whilst flights to Havana (Cuba) are suspended until 24 October 2026. Furthermore, flights to Iran — including the cities of Isfahan, Mashhad, Shiraz and Tabriz — have been cancelled at least until the same date in October due to tensions in the Middle East.
VOTE
EDITORIAL TEAM
🧿 About us
.
Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
…
📣 Your ADVERTISING on Hispanatolia
.
🤗 HELP US WITH A DONATION:
💗 Paypal
