Thai airlines trim routes as jet fuel surge bites

Thai airlines are starting to cut routes and adjust schedules as soaring fuel prices linked to the Middle East conflict begin to bite, with Thai Lion Air and Nok Air joining Thai AirAsia and Thai AirAsia X in temporarily suspending selected services under the Summer 2026 timetable.

The latest moves come as aviation fuel prices have jumped sharply in the wake of the war in the Middle East, forcing carriers to tighten cost controls, especially on medium- and long-haul routes where fuel accounts for a large share of operating expenses. Some domestic services are also beginning to feel the strain.

Thai Lion Air suspends Seoul route

Thai Lion Air is set to temporarily halt flights between Don Mueang and Seoul’s Incheon airport from May 9 to September 30, 2026. The airline had only launched the route on January 14 this year, operating one flight a day.

According to the reservation system, the service is due to resume on October 1.

Nok Air pauses Chiang Mai-Udon Thani service

Nok Air is also suspending its Chiang Mai-Udon Thani route throughout April 2026, adding to signs that carriers are starting to make selective network adjustments as cost pressures intensify.

AirAsia and AirAsia X trim multiple routes

Thai AirAsia had earlier announced the temporary suspension of several routes during the Summer 2026 schedule, including Suvarnabhumi-Narathiwat, Don Mueang-Xi’an, Hong Kong-Okinawa, Phuket-Chennai and Phuket-Kochi.

Thai AirAsia X is also temporarily suspending flights on Don Mueang-Shanghai and Don Mueang-Riyadh.

The route changes reflect broader efforts by airlines to manage costs and match capacity more carefully to market conditions during a period of extreme volatility in the energy market.

Jet fuel shock forces airlines to cut costs

The conflict in the Middle East has driven Jet A-1 prices up by two to three times compared with levels before the crisis. Prices have risen from around US$80 a barrel to more than US$140 a barrel, sharply increasing operating costs per flight.

With fuel previously accounting for roughly 30% of total costs on each flight, airlines are now under growing pressure to reduce frequencies and temporarily suspend services that have become too expensive to operate.

Carriers are being hit hardest on medium- and long-haul sectors, though the impact is also beginning to spread to some domestic routes.