Turkish Airlines will no longer fly to Leipzig: The reason is fuel prices

Critical developments from around the world. Economy: Turkish Airlines will no longer fly to Leipzig: The reason is fuel prices. April 22, 2026. Turkish Airlines will no longer operate direct flights from Leipzig to Istanbul. Lufthansa has also canceled 20,000 flights.

The reason is rising fuel costs due to the war in Iran. There was significant interest in Turkish Airlines’ Istanbul-Leipzig flights. Photo: Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto/picture alliance Advertisement Turkish Airlines (THY) is ending its flights to Leipzig, Germany. According to information obtained by MDR, a public broadcaster operating in eastern Germany, from aviation industry organizations, THY will suspend direct flights between Leipzig and Istanbul starting May 2.

Details of the Developments

According to airport officials, the route in question has been in operation for 14 years and has been very popular. Reason: Rising costs and the Iran conflict THY cited current geopolitical developments and rising costs—particularly fuel costs—as the reason for the decision. A spokesperson for the airline noted that flights could be resumed if conditions change.

Flights to Antalya and Bodrum will continue SunExpress announced that direct flights from Leipzig-Halle Airport to Antalya will continue uninterrupted. Starting in June, THY’s subsidiary Ajet will begin operating direct flights from Leipzig/Halle to Bodrum. Lufthansa is canceling 20,000 flights Meanwhile, the German airline Lufthansa is also cutting back on flights.

Under pressure from rising fuel costs and strikes, Lufthansa has closed its regional subsidiary Cityline earlier than planned. As part of this, 20,000 short-haul flights have been canceled through October. The company stated that this decision will result in fuel savings of approximately 40,000 tons.

What Do Experts Say?

According to Lufthansa, the price of jet fuel has doubled since the start of the war in Iran. Lufthansa announced that it will optimize its passenger network throughout the summer via six hub airports: Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Vienna, Brussels, and Rome. The company stated that this will ensure uninterrupted access to its global flight network for passengers.

Cityline Employees Suspended Lufthansa decided a few days ago to immediately suspend Cityline’s operations ahead of the scheduled timeline in response to rising fuel costs and ongoing labor disputes. According to an internal memo cited by the German business newspaper Handelsblatt, all cockpit and cabin crew, with a few exceptions, have been temporarily suspended. The 27 aging Canadair CRJ-type aircraft in Cityline’s fleet had already been grounded in recent days.

First cancellations began on Monday Lufthansa’s first round of cancellations, involving 120 daily flights, took effect on Monday and will continue through the end of May. As part of this, flights from Frankfurt to the Polish cities of Bydgoszcz and Rzeszow, as well as to Stavanger in Norway, have been temporarily suspended.

The development has sparked widespread reaction in the international community. Diplomatic circles are closely monitoring the situation.