A Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) boss said it is cancelling 1,000 flights in April due to skyrocketing fuel prices amid the Middle Eastern conflict.

SAS CEO Anko van der Werff has warned that the airline will have to raise prices if the crisis continues for a long time, and has already made the decision to cancel some departures to save money.

"We are cancelling a couple of hundred flights during March, but are trying to protect our traffic as much as possible,” Mr van der Werff told Swedish daily newspaper Dagens Industri.

“After Easter we will see more cancelled flights, when there will always be a downturn. For April it is about at least a thousand departures. But that should be compared to the fact that we have 800 flights per day, so these are not drastic measures."

This equates to more than 5,000 flights per week being operated by SAS.

The airline said that an average SAS flight will cost 500 SEK more (£40.30), while a transatlantic flight will be approximately 2,700 SEK (£218) more expensive.

"The price of jet fuel has doubled in ten days. Although we are trying to absorb cost increases as much as we can, this is a shock that hits the aviation industry directly," he added.

The destinations that are being cut first are flights where there are good same‑day alternative connections.

As the situation in the Middle East is ever evolving, the airline does not have a consolidated list of all cancellations on specific routes.

Alexandra Lindgren Kaoukji, an SAS spokesperson, told The Independent that affected customers are being informed and are offered rebooking to other departures.

“Our aim is always to provide clear information as early as possible and to offer practical same‑day alternatives wherever feasible,” she said.

“The sharp increase in fuel costs is affecting the entire European aviation system, and we have therefore, as earlier communicated, also made certain price adjustments linked to the current fuel situation.

“The level varies depending on the route, but the principle is the same as for other European airlines facing the same conditions.

“The decision to make these short‑term adjustments is about acting early in response to a global cost shock that is affecting the entire industry,” Ms Lindgren Kaoukji added.

However, those who already have a booked ticket will not be affected by retroactive price increases, SAS's CEO promised.

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