UK DfT confirms contingency plans to reduce potential cancellations in summer 2026

UK Department for Transport (DfT) announced (02-May-2026) a series of contingency plans to reduce the likelihood of last-minute flight cancellations in summer 2026, in the event of "significant disruption due to ongoing global uncertainty caused by the Middle East conflict". The Government confirmed that while there are "no immediate supply issues", the measures are designed to enable airlines to "plan realistically and lock in schedules earlier so that people are less likely to be affected by short‑notice changes at the airport". These temporary measures would allow airlines to, for example, consolidate schedules on routes where there are multiple flights to the same destination on the same day.  Instead of cancelling flights at the last minute, the measures would:

• Help move passengers onto similar services much earlier, helping avoid stressful delays at the airport;
• Prevent running flights which have not sold a significant proportion of tickets;
• Reduce wasted fuel from flying near-empty aircraft.

Measures being considered will allow airlines to proactively hand back a limited proportion of their allocated take-off and landing slots without losing the right to operate them the following season. UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander discussed the plans with industry figures on 30-Apr-2026 including representatives from London Heathrow Airport, London Gatwick Airport, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic Airways and easyJet. Ms Alexander stated: "This legislation will give airlines the tools to adjust flights in good time if they need to, which helps protect passengers and businesses. We will do everything we can to insulate our country from the impact of the situation in the Middle East". [more - original PR]