WestJet slashes flight capacity due to soaring jet fuel prices as US-Iran war keeps Middle East on the edge

As tensions between Iran and the United States continue to keep the Gulf on edge, WestJet has decided to cut flight capacity in response to soaring jet fuel prices driven by the ongoing conflict. According to The Canadian Press, the Calgary-based airline has said that it has reduced capacity by about one per cent in April, three per cent in May and nearly six per cent in June.

WestJet said that however it has not eliminated any routes so far, but it is “evaluating its summer schedule” with an eye to possible cuts, the independent news agency reported. As of now, the carrier has consolidated flights on some routes and shortened the travel period for seasonal service to several destinations.

This comes days after Air Canada announced that it would suspend six routes, citing fuel costs that render them unprofitable.

The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran launched in late February, 2026 caused an effective shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz, prompting massive spikes in oil prices and even bigger jumps for jet fuel, which remains at double its prewar price despite a shaky ceasefire.

Tensions escalated in the Gulf in February 2026 after joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, triggering a broader regional conflict leading to the shut down of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil transit route, triggering sharp spikes in crude prices and even steeper increases in jet fuel costs, which remain at more than double their prewar levels despite a fragile ceasefire.

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