April 14 (Reuters) - Lufthansa Chief Executive Carsten Spohr said that jet fuel supplies are expected to remain constraint through the year due to the Iran war, potentially leading to higher costs.
"Kerosene will remain in short supply and therefore more expensive for the rest of the year," Spohr told German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in an interview published on Tuesday. He also said that record revenues on Asian routes were helping offset the impact of rising kerosene costs.
Spohr said the group had yet to ground any aircraft due to the fuel shortages but warned that it "may be unavoidable" in the future as kerosene availability is already critical at some airports, particularly in Asia.
Lufthansa has prepared contingency plans, including cutting its capacity by 2.5% or 5%, involving the grounding of 20-40 older, less fuel-efficient planes earmarked for early retirement, Spohr added.
Writing by Linda Pasquini, editing by Kirsti Knolle
Source: Reuters