EU says fuel costs do not cancel passenger compensation rights

Airlines that cancel flights because jet fuel has become more expensive must still compensate passengers under European law, the EU’s transport commissioner has said, rejecting industry hopes that the fuel crisis would let carriers avoid payouts.

The Guardian reported on May 7 that Apostolos Tzitzikostas said higher fuel costs do not count as “extraordinary circumstances” under the bloc’s passenger-rights regime. That matters because those rules can require compensation when airlines cancel flights, unless the disruption falls outside normal business risk.

There is a narrow exception. The Guardian reported that cancellations caused by a genuine local fuel shortage could still fall outside the scope of the compensation duty. But the Commission’s basic position is that rising prices alone are part of running an airline, not grounds for suspending passenger protections.

The intervention comes as Europe’s aviation sector faces growing pressure from a wider supply shock. In April, the Associated Press reported that International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol warned Europe had “maybe six weeks or so” of jet fuel left if blocked oil supplies were not restored, and said cancellations could follow.

The EU’s message is clear: a fuel crisis does not automatically cancel passenger rights.

GOING FURTHER

• Airlines still have to pay compensation if flights cancelled due to fuel crisis, EU says | The Guardian

• EU tells airlines to pay passengers for fuel-linked cancellations | Financial Times

• Europe has ‘maybe 6 weeks of jet fuel left,’ energy agency head tells the AP | Associated Press

• Air passenger rights | Your Europe

• Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 | legislation.gov.uk

• What if your flight is cancelled due to jet fuel shortages? | Sky News

• Flying soon? What the jet fuel crisis means for travellers | Euronews

Sources:

▪ This piece was first published in Europeans TODAY on 8 May 2026.

▪ Cover: Dreamstime/KORWEN.