Holidaymakers worried as airlines cut flights and jet fuel prices soar

At the beginning of April the benchmark European jet fuel price hit an all-time high of $1,838 (£1,387) per tonne, compared with $831 before the war began.

“It’s a triple whammy for airlines at the moment,” said Tim Jeans, a former commercial director for Ryanair.

“The issues in the Middle East have caused a massive spike in the cost of fuel and that in turn is pushing up ticket prices.”

He told BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast that people’s uncertainty around whether it was going to be possible to travel combined with the increase in prices is reducing demand and has forced airlines to decide whether flights will be profitable.

Analysts have warned that travellers should expect disruption as the conflict continues.

But Jeans was confident that holidaymakers from Scotland should not be worried.

“I don’t see a situation where flights are cancelled because of the non-availability of fuel, but there may be some trimming of schedules and flight time changes” he said.

“For the most popular destinations in Spain, Portugal, Italy and France, things will be pretty much normal, albeit with a potential modest adjustment upwards in fuel cost.”