Lufthansa axes Glasgow Airport route jet fuel shipments record low

The German flag carrier has removed the route from sale, and the last direct Lufthansa flights between Glasgow and Frankfurt appear to be operating on Sunday, May 31.

A spokesman for the Lufthansa Group said: "Following the decision to discontinue Lufthansa CityLine flights effective immediately and to reduce unprofitable flights in the future due to high kerosene prices, the Lufthansa Group’s summer schedule will be reduced by just under 1% of available seat-kilometres.

"To compensate for this, Lufthansa has taken immediate action and will consolidate the flight schedules of all Lufthansa Group airlines, cancelling 20,000 flights by the end of October.

"As a result of these decisions, flights to Glasgow will no longer be operated by Lufthansa via Frankfurt, but for the time being, by Edelweiss via Zurich, offering access to the Swiss International Air Lines network.

"This means that passengers will continue to have a wide range of options for accessing the Lufthansa Group’s global network."

The daily Glasgow-Frankfurt flights began in March 2018, originally launched to support the city’s financial sector and cater to tourist demand.

(Image: Colin Mearns)

The service followed the introduction of a Glasgow–Munich route in October 2017, further strengthening links between Scotland and Germany.

We reported last week that the airline is set to cancel more than 20,000 flights this summer.

The decision is aimed at offsetting rising fuel costs, which have doubled in recent weeks due to the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important shipping routes.

Most of the affected flights are short-haul routes, and the airline said the vast majority were no longer profitable.

Lufthansa is not the only airline affected by the fuel crisis and regional instability.

United Airlines announced it will cut 5% of its schedule, while KLM has dropped about 160 flights for the coming month.

Rising fuel costs are also making holidays more expensive.

A recent study found the Iran conflict has added up to £77 per person to the price of long-haul flights from Europe, meaning a family of four could pay as much as £300 extra.

Virgin Atlantic has introduced a new fuel surcharge, with economy passengers paying an additional £50 and business passengers facing a £360 increase.

Air France and KLM, part of the same airline group, have also raised prices, with long-haul round trips now costing an extra £87.