Airlines can cancel flights in advance over fuel shortages under new plans

15 hours ago

Theo Leggett Transport correspondent

Bloomberg/Getty Images

Airlines say they are not currently facing problems with fuel

Airlines will be able to cancel flights weeks in advance, without losing valuable take off and landing slots at busy airports, if they face fuel shortages this summer.

New contingency plans have been drawn up by the government to let carriers plan ahead, helping to avoid disruptive last-minute cancellations for passengers.

The proposals would allow airlines to merge flights on routes with multiple trips to the same destination on the same day, meaning passengers could be moved from their original booking to a similar one to save fuel.

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said she was confident most people travelling this summer would have a similar experience to last year.

Travel journalist Simon Calder told the BBC the aim was "prioritise holiday flights over business departures."

Calder used…