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Yaar, kuch time pehle kaise Middle East mein tensions ke karan Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways jaise carriers ko thoda side hona pada tha? Iska seedha fayda Western airlines ko mila, jaise Lufthansa, British Airways (IAG), Air France-KLM, United Airlines aur Delta Air Lines. Unhone apni capacity badha li aur Asia tak ke routes pakad liye jo pehle mushkil the. Socho, achha mauka tha!
Lekin yahan ek bada 'par' hai. Yeh mauka toh aaya, par iske saath aaya jet fuel ke daam mein toofani tezi! Bhai, yeh itne badh gaye hain ki February end se toh seedha double ho gaye hain kuch jagahon par. March mein hi national average jet fuel prices 20% badh gaye. Ab airlines ka sabse bada kharcha hi fuel hota hai, toh imagine karo kitna impact hua hoga!
Ab European airlines aksar fuel hedging karte hain, matlab pehle se price lock kar lete hain. Par yeh bhi fully guaranteed nahi. Kai hedges toh crude oil par based hoti hain, na ki seedha jet fuel par. Isliye refining costs badhne se woh mushkil mein aa sakte hain. Lufthansa ne toh naya fuel hedging band kar diya hai, par 2026 tak covered hai. EasyJet jaise bhi keh rahe hain ki daam badh rahe hain. United Airlines toh hedging karti hi nahi, aur Delta ke paas toh khud ki refinery hai, toh woh manage kar rahe hain.
Is mehngai ki wajah se airlines ko apni plans badalni pad rahi hain. Lufthansa toh routes kam karne aur purane planes jaldi retire karne ki soch rahi hai. Scandinavian Airlines ne toh 1,000 flights cancel kar di sirf fuel prices badhne ki wajah se. Stock market mein bhi dikh raha hai, IAG ke shares toh 16% gir gaye. Competition bhi hai, Asia se Singapore Airlines aur Cathay Pacific jaise carriers Russian airspace use karke Europe tak seedha aur saste mein aa sakte hain.
IATA keh raha hai ki travel demand toh theek rahegi, lekin yeh geopolitical tensions bade risks hain. Analysts bol rahe hain ki log travel toh kar rahe hain, par shayad long-haul ki jagah Europe ke andar hi ghuma karein, jisse long-haul airlines ko nuksan ho sakta hai. Basically, ek taraf mauka mila, doosri taraf kharchaa badh gaya. Aage kya hoga, yeh fuel prices stable hone par aur Middle East carriers ke wapas aane par depend karega, jo shayad prices kam karke market reclaim karenge. Jin airlines ki finances kamzor hain, unke liye situation tough ho sakti hai.