Airlines have dramatically escalated flight cancellations for May, new figures reveal, as the industry grapples with soaring jet fuel prices and concerns over potential shortages. Data from aviation analytics firm Cirium shows 296 departures from UK airports were cancelled this month as of Tuesday, representing 0.75 per cent of the total scheduled flights. This marks a significant increase from just 120 cancellations reported six days prior. However, the outlook for the peak summer travel period appears more stable. Week-on-week schedule reductions for June remain limited at 48 fewer outbound flights, following the cancellation of 0.2 per cent of services. July has seen a reduction of 31 flights week-on-week, while August shows a minimal decrease of just four flights. Around 13,000 flights were cancelled globally in May , resulting in two million fewer available seats, analyst Cirium previously revealed.…