UK holidaymakers are being warned that both holidays and flights this summer could be in jeopardy if the Iranian war continues.

Already, hundreds of flights have been cancelled across Europe, with fears that cancellations will begin to take place for UK travellers.

Travellers are already facing higher fares because jet fuel costs have doubled since the conflict started, prompting airlines to pass the increases on to their customers. If a jet fuel crisis led to shortages across the European Union, member countries could be asked to share fuel reserves. The EU “maintains emergency stocks” of jet fuel that “can be and will be released only if necessary,” the  EU Transport Commissioner stated during a press briefing after a videoconference with EU transport ministers, adding: “Any national release of fuel must be done in full transparency to avoid market distortions.

If the Strait of Hormuz reopens and oil and other cargo begin to move, it will not be enough to return the situation to normal in the short to medium term. It will allow an initial supply of oil and goods via the ships stuck in the Straits. Still, empty ships will have to return to the Straits to keep products and goods flowing. Ship owners and marine insurance companies have already stated that they will not allow their ships to return to the Persian Gulf if there is any risk that a resolution will only be temporary.

A further problem is that once trapped oil tankers do start to leave the Straits, it will take weeks for the ships to reach their destination refineries, and for the crude oil to be refined into usable products and delivered to end users. It typically takes oil tankers between 17 and 28 days to travel from the Persian Gulf to UK and EU refineries via the Suez Canal.

A senior UK government Minister has warned that even after the conflict ends, the public could face higher energy, food and flight ticket prices for at least eight months before the situation begins to return to any sense of normality.