Airline Profits to Fall 50 Percent in 2026 as Jet Fuel Prices Spike

American Airlines has suspended some of its routes amid rising fuel costs, while Spirit Airlines shut down operations last month.

An Alaska Airlines jet takes off from Los Angeles International Airport on Jan. 27, 2026. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

The global airline industry will see its profits halve this year amid rising jet fuel prices triggered by the U.S.-Iran conflict, the director general of an airline association said Sunday in Brazil.

Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), recounted the industry’s challenges since the pandemic in his report at the group’s annual meeting in Rio de Janeiro.