Analysis
Lufthansa cancels 20,000 flights and retires aircraft as fuel costs force the group's hand
Lufthansa is cancelling 20,000 flights through October, closing CityLine and retiring six long-haul aircraft.
Rodrigo Andreas
Rodrigo Andreas is the founder of Airliner Insider. He has a background in commercial aviation and economics, with experience across European aviation sales and charter markets.
Newsletter
The Insider Brief — Wednesday 22 April 2026
Trump extended the US-Iran ceasefire late Tuesday after reversing his own position. The strait remains closed. United posted record Q1 revenue of $14.6bn and cut full-year capacity. American reports Thursday.
News
United Airlines posts record revenue as premium cabin demand offsets fuel hit
United Airlines posted a record $14.6 billion in first-quarter revenue, with adjusted EPS of $1.19 beating expectations despite a $340 million fuel hit. Premium revenue rose 14 per cent.
News
Spirit Airlines asks Washington for an equity stake as fuel renders restructuring unworkable
Spirit Airlines filed its restructuring plan assuming jet fuel at $2.24 per gallon. The market is at $4.32. J.P. Morgan puts the gap at $360 million in additional costs — more than the airline's entire cash balance.
Newsletter
The Insider Brief — Tuesday 21 April 2026
The ceasefire expires this evening. United Airlines reports after the close. The EASA bulletin runs out on Thursday. American reports Wednesday.
Long Read
Singapore, Cathay and Korean Air are filling the seats that Emirates and Qatar Airways cannot sell
Singapore Airlines filled 93.5% of its European seats in March. Cathay Pacific carried 24% more passengers year-on-year. Korean Air posted a record quarter with European revenue up 18%.
Opinion
The man the industry laughs at is the one who saw it coming
Michael O'Leary has been right about fuel risk, ancillary revenue, secondary airports and marketing for thirty years. The industry is still laughing.
Newsletter
The Insider Brief — Monday 20 April 2026
The USS Spruance seized an Iranian cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman on Sunday. The ceasefire expires Wednesday. United and American report earnings this week. And Europe's jet fuel clock is still running. Here is what the industry is waking up to on Monday morning.
Long Read
Zero hedging, one pending acquisition, and the worst fuel crisis in fifty years
The Strait of Hormuz opened for twelve hours on Friday. By Saturday morning Iran had closed it again. For an unhedged carrier still in post-bankruptcy recovery, every additional week of this costs money it cannot spare.
Analysis
Airlines face a summer of elevated costs and unresolved supply risk
Jet fuel prices remain double their pre-war levels. IATA warns of European cancellations by end of May regardless. The carriers that survive the rest of 2026 intact are already visible — and so are the ones that may not.
News
American Airlines rejects United merger approach, calling combination anti-competitive
American Airlines said Friday it is not interested in a merger with United and has held no discussions. The statement goes further, calling the combination anti-competitive and invoking Trump's own antitrust philosophy to close the door.
Analysis
Norse Atlantic raises $110 million as the fuel crisis undoes months of progress
Norse Atlantic entered 2026 with its first credible profit forecast. Eleven weeks later, it was asking shareholders for $110 million. The fuel crisis has found its most exposed victim.