Ryanair CEO says book summer trips before fares soar, predicting French air traffic controllers more likely to cause flight chaos than fuel shortages

 If the U.S.-Israel war on Iran continues into the summer, then airlines will start running out of jet fuel and will be forced to trim flights, according to Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary.

In an interview Thursday with the U.K.’s ITV News, he said carriers will be in an “unknown scenario” if the Strait of Hormuz stays closed for two to three more months, warning 5%-10% of flights in May, June, and July might have to be canceled.

By that point, O’Leary added airlines won’t be able to choose which flights to cancel, explaining that they will get little advance notice and it would depend on how much jet fuel each airport still has available.

“So we will then look around, and we will be trying to ground one or two aircraft and minimize the inconvenience for customers,” he said. “But it’s going to be difficult. It’s going to be challenging.” 

Despite the risk of cancellations, O’Leary said he would “strongly advise” that anyone planning a trip this summer book as soon as possible, before airfares get pricier.

In fact, jet fuel prices have soared even higher than gasoline prices have as the Iran war has not only bottled up one-fifth of the world’s oil supply but a big chunk of the refining capacity that...