Travel News · 6 min read · May 6, 2026

Is 13,000 cancelled flights worldwide actually a lot?

Holiday Extras puts the numbers in context. New data shows current cancellation levels are comparable to a normal disrupted month — and passengers are far better protected than in the May 2022 disruption.

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The 13,000 flight cancellations making headlines in May 2026 sound dramatic, but represent just ~1.5% of global seat capacity — barely above the UK's normal annual cancellation rate of 1.45% (2024). It's a fraction of past genuine crises like the CrowdStrike outage (6.2% in a single day) or the 2022 Jubilee weekend chaos (~4% of UK flights). Crucially, new UK government rules require airlines to give 14+ days' notice of fuel-related cancellations, so affected passengers get refunds, rebookings, or up to £520 compensation under UK261 — no airport-gate surprises. Most UK departures are running normally; Jet2 is operating as scheduled. Don't panic, but check your airline's app and make sure you have travel insurance.

Headlines this week have been full of warnings about 13,000 cancelled flights worldwide in May, fuelled by the ongoing jet fuel crisis linked to conflict in the Middle East. But Holiday Extras, the UK's leading travel extras provider, is urging holidaymakers not to panic — and the data backs them up.

The number in context

13,000 cancellations worldwide sounds alarming. In reality, it represents roughly 1.5% of global scheduled seat capacity for May — a figure that sits squarely within the range of a normal disrupted period, and well below the genuine aviation chaos the UK has experienced in recent years.

The UK's own Civil Aviation Authority recorded a 1.45% cancellation rate across all UK airports for the full year 2024. The current global figure is barely higher. For context, the CrowdStrike IT outage of July 2024 cancelled 6.2% of global flights in a single day — nearly four times the current monthly rate — and most passengers had barely heard of it a fortnight later.

The worst recent half-term on record was the Platinum Jubilee weekend in June 2022, when up to 4% of UK flights were cancelled in a single weekend. That was a genuine crisis: staff hadn't been rehired fast enough after the pandemic, passengers arrived at the airport to find flights had vanished with little or no warning, and baggage mountains made the front pages.

*UK annual figures estimated from CAA movement data. Global May 2026 figure from Cirium via Euronews. Rate comparisons not perfectly like-for-like: UK annual rates vs global monthly capacity cut.

This time is different

The key distinction in 2026 is how and when cancellations are happening. Under emergency measures introduced by the UK government on 3 May, airlines are required to give passengers at least 14 days' notice of any fuel-related cancellations. The purpose is explicit: to ensure travellers can rebook, reclaim costs, and amend plans without last-minute disruption at the departure gate.

In practical terms, that means passengers whose flights are cut will receive a full refund or a rebooked alternative — with time to act. Jet2, the UK's largest package holiday airline, is currently operating as scheduled. Ryanair has not yet confirmed any May cancellations.

Under UK261 passenger rights legislation, any cancellation with less than 14 days' notice also triggers cash compensation of up to £520 per passenger, on top of a full refund or rebooking. The government's 14-day notice requirement keeps passengers firmly on the right side of that threshold.

“We know that a cancelled flight can turn a family's holiday plans upside down, and our sympathies are with anyone facing that disruption right now. But context matters: those 13,000 cancelled flights are a global figure, and the vast majority of UK departures are operating exactly as planned. UK holidaymakers also have some of the strongest passenger rights in the world — if your flight is cut, you are entitled to a full refund or a rebooked alternative, with at least two weeks' notice. The picture is far less alarming than the headlines suggest.”

What travellers should do now