Holidaymakers have been thrown into chaos after an airline abruptly axed its Cornwall-to-London flights following a surge in fuel costs amid the Iran war.

Regional carrier Skybus has been running daily services between Newquay and London under a Public Service Obligation set to expire on May 31. 

But the route will now end early, with the final flight departing on Thursday. 

Managing director Jonathan Hinkles pointed to a ‘huge rise in the cost of fuel following the war in the Gulf’ alongside a ‘significant drop’ in bookings.

He said: ‘At a time of great economic uncertainty and steps being taken to conserve energy worldwide, it is neither environmentally nor economically sound for us to continue flying with vastly reduced passenger numbers.’

Passengers affected by cancellations will receive full refunds, the airline confirmed.

Among those hit is former RAF officer Shane McLaughlin, from Threemilestone, who had planned to fly via Gatwick Airport en route to Seville.

He said: ‘Gatwick is not the easiest airport to get to so our contingency is probably to use rail.

Regional carrier Skybus has been running daily services between Newquay and London under a Public Service Obligation set to expire on May 31

‘The return journey will use up the best part of a day as opposed to getting back at breakfast time, and that’s the ideal thing with the timescales of the Skybus service.’

The route had been operating under a government and council-backed PSO contract after the previous operator, Eastern Airways, teetered on the brink of administration.

Skybus stepped in on November 23 with a short-term agreement, but will now withdraw ahead of schedule.

There is some relief on the horizon, with easyJet set to launch a twice-weekly service from June 23.

Meanwhile, Cornwall Airport Newquay insisted the decision was beyond its control, while confirming that Ryanair continues to operate year-round flights to London Stansted Airport.

A spokesperson said: ‘This decision sits outside of the airport’s control.

‘London connectivity does, however, remain in place.

‘Although this is not a direct replacement for the PSO route, London services will operate six days a week across the summer.’

‘We are actively working with airline partners and stakeholders to secure sustainable London connectivity for the future,’ they added.

Jet fuel was £3.21 a gallon last Thursday, compared with £1.89 just before the first US-Israeli strikes on Iran, according to the Airlines for America group.

Donald Trump has indicated he is prepared to walk away from the US-Israeli war against Iran without securing the reopening of the vital maritime chokepoint.

The President warned the UK and other countries that did not take part in strikes against Iran should secure the Strait of Hormuz themselves and ‘go get your own oil.’

He claimed the UK was among several countries that ‘can’t get jet fuel’ ahead of the Easter bank holiday weekend – but industry body Airlines UK denied this.

The European Commission in Brussels has already said governments should consider ‘voluntary demand saving measures,’ including asking citizens to fly less to save fuel.

The last known shipment of jet fuel to the UK from the Middle East is due to arrive from Saudi Arabia today amid claims a shortage is ‘less than a week away.’

The UK is currently sourcing at least half its jet fuel from the Middle East amid a fall in domestic refining and a halt on Russian imports since the Ukraine invasion in 2022.

About 40 per cent of Europe’s jet fuel comes via the Strait of Hormuz, which is nearly completely closed. 

Cargo ships in the Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Ras al-Khaimah on March 11

An Israeli airstrike hits a building in Beirut on March 31. Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East conflict when Tehran-backed armed group Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel on March 2

The UK receives supplies directly from the Middle East, while additional supplies come in indirectly, especially via Belgium and the Netherlands.

Aviation analyst Alex Macheras said the US Jet Fuel Index was up 72 per cent in one month since the war began, which was ‘massively outpacing even Brent crude’s rise.’

Mr Macheras cited how United Airlines said jet fuel prices have more than doubled in three weeks – and if such a trend continues, its annual fuel bill would hit $11billion.

This would be more than double the airline’s best-ever annual profit. Mr Macheras also pointed out that New York to London fares were up 177 per cent in a week.

He tweeted: ‘A serious jet fuel shortage is less than a week away across multiple different markets, including at some major European airport hubs, who are informing airlines to prepare for a potential ‘no-fuel available here’ scenario.

‘This is not a Europe problem – international airlines from Asia, South America, Africa, etc., are working on contingency plans which include attempted fuel stops en route to/from destination as jet fuel shortage worsens to unprecedented levels and the price continues to surge.’

Speaking about jet fuel supplies, Business Secretary Peter Kyle told Times Radio: ‘We have no supply chain issues at this moment at all. So people need to just realise that our country is well supplied when it comes to critical infrastructure and fuel.’

Airlines UK said: ‘UK airlines are currently not seeing disruption to jet fuel supply and continue to engage with fuel suppliers and government to monitor the situation.’

Meanwhile, Reform UK Nigel Farage has vowed to scrap air passenger duty for short-haul trips in his first Budget if he wins the next election. 

Robert Jenrick said this would save a family of four £45 to fly short-haul and £48 to fly within the UK.

Under the plans, the duty would be abolished for all domestic and short-haul tickets where an adult on an economy ticket is travelling with at least one under-18-year-old.

Ryanair CEO ​Michael O’Leary told Sky News on Wednesday that jet fuel supply to Europe could be disrupted from May if the Middle East conflict continues, and potentially put 25 per cent of Ryanair’s supplies at risk through May and June.

Air France-KLM has already said it planned to increase long-haul ticket prices to address surging fuel costs, with cabin fares set to rise by 50 euros per round trip.

Cathy Pacific has said it will hike its fuel surcharge by 34 per cent across routes from Wednesday and review it every two weeks; while easyJet CEO Kenton Jarvis said European consumers should expect higher ticket prices towards the end of summer.