Airline Company Suspends JFK Flights

NEW YORK, NY— Air Canada will suspend service to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport this summer as rising jet fuel prices linked to the conflict involving Iran push some routes into unprofitability, the airline said Friday.

The carrier said flights between Toronto and Montreal and JFK will cease June 1 and resume Oct. 25. Service to LaGuardia Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport will continue, with Air Canada operating 34 daily flights to the two airports from six Canadian cities.

Air Canada said it will contact affected passengers with alternative travel options.

“As jet fuel prices have doubled since the start of the Iran conflict and some lower profitability routes and flights are no longer economic, we are making schedule adjustments accordingly,” a spokesman for the Montreal-based airline said.

The average price of jet fuel reached $4.32 per gallon Thursday, up from $2.50 before the conflict began, according to Argus Media.

Airlines across the industry have responded to higher fuel costs with service reductions and added fees.

Delta Air Lines has projected an additional $2 billion in second-quarter fuel expenses, while carriers including JetBlue and United Airlines have raised baggage fees.

Lufthansa and KLM have also cut routes as fuel costs pressure profitability.

International Energy Agency Director Fatih Birol told The Associated Press in an interview that Europe has “maybe six weeks” of jet fuel supplies remaining and warned the global economy faces its “largest energy crisis.”