{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"ARGS - Summer 2026 -Powerd by AI","description":"Life is never straightforward for network planners, it seems. First, they had to navigate the ad hoc opening and closing of borders to work out where they could fly during the Covid years. That assumed they could fly there direct, without conflicts restricting market and airspace access, and that they could get hold of an aircraft to put on the route \u2013 and enough spare parts to keep it flying. Now, they must factor in whether they can still afford to fly a route as fuel costs, one of the few benign elements of recent years, have surged following the outbreak of the Iran conflict. And worse may yet lie ahead, if the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted and starts limiting jet fuel availability. While the situation in the Middle East could change in an instant, and carriers in the region have already made progress in rebuilding operations, the impacts on the industry will take longer to play out. Airlines are braced for jet fuel prices to remain elevated for the foreseeable and that puts the viability of routes under pressure. Carriers have already slowed growth expectations for this year and cut capacity at the margins. Some are accelerating the withdrawal of older or wet-leased aircraft and more of the same seems likely to follow in the winter. The extent to which capacity cuts and network changes will proliferate depends not just on oil price developments, but also on how much of the increased fuel costs can be recaptured through higher fares. Initially, at least, airlines around the world have reported encouraging signs as demand has remained strong even with increased fares. Capacity levels are also likely to be negatively impacted by cuts or failures among struggling airlines. The crisis has already proved the final straw for US discounter Spirit Airlines, which pulled the plug on restructuring efforts at the start of May. If there is no respite on fuel costs, carriers with weak balance sheets or limited hedging in place will find the pressure ratcheted up after the Northern Hemisphere summer peak. Against this backdrop, when network planners met for Routes Europe in the Italian resort city of Rimini, most were planning for multiple scenarios. But the experiences the industry has been through since the start of the decade mean market uncertainty and adversity have almost become business as usual. Italy was an apt place for network planners to meet, given the popularity of the country. This summer has seen a string of new routes, both in short-haul networks from expanding low-cost carriers and on long-haul flights with some eye-catching new transatlantic links. Many of these routes are fuelled by new aircraft technology, serving as a reminder of the network opportunities that remain if the fuel crisis does not derail the industry. ","author_name":"The EVA podcast","author_url":"https:\/\/evaintmedia.com\/theevapodcast\/","html":"