Travel guru Simon Calder said he "couldn't believe" a flight deal available for "beautiful" Greek island amid global jet fuel shortages - as he urged Britons not to be put off booking holidays. Airspace closures following the outbreak of the war in the Middle East in late February have had a major impact on air travel.
And while much of the region’s airspace has since reopened, many people are avoiding flying there because of the conflict. A raft of European airlines have also recently raised the alarm over impending jet fuel shortages within weeks, given the disruption to their main supply route through the blockaded Strait of Hormuz. Around three quarters of Europe’s jet fuel supply comes from the Middle East and travels through the vital shipping route.
Mr Calder appeared on Sky News to discuss how the shortages could impact travel, and whether even existing bookings could be scrapped due to the shortages.
The freelance travel journalist and broadcaster started by acknowledging that many people who have already booked flights will be looking nervously at updates about jet fuel shortages, concerned about how it could affect their trip.
"However, I need to say that I am booking holidays very happily at very good prices because I know that with a holiday booking I have pretty rock-solid protection," Mr Calder added.
"So if you book a flight-only deal, then very straightforwardly, if the flight doesn't go ahead, then the airline has to make arrangements to get you to your destination on the same day if that's at all possible, including buying ticket on another airline."
He pushed back on fears of mass chaos erupting during the summer months, using easyJet's capacity as an example. "They've got six flights a day from Gatwick to Nice in the south of France.
"Now it's possible, if they did need to [cancel flights] and at the moment they absolutely say they don't need to, they could cut one or two of those and merge flights together.
"So, it would be a bit of nuisance, but nothing more," he said, adding that he believes that's the likely scale of the issue."
While there may be some issues, he believes the tens of millions of Britons flying from the UK have very little to worry about.
Mr Calder suggested we're a long way from wide-scale cancellations, as he highlighted a number of "fantastic deals" currently on the market, perhaps due to the hesitancy among fliers.
"I couldn't believe it, I was looking at flights from Luton Airport last night to the beautiful Greek island of Mykonos, in July and August, when you would expect fairs to be £150, £200 one way, most of the flights on most of those days in the two peak summer months are £55 one way, it's ridiculous."
