Germany’s Lufthansa, Europe’s largest airline group, has announced that it will cancel 20,000 uneconomic short-haul flights from its European summer schedule, as jet fuel prices have surged since the start of the US-Israeli aggression against Iran.

In a statement late Tuesday, Lufthansa said the cuts will amount to one percent of available seat-kilometres and save around 40,000 tons of jet fuel.

The first 120 cancellations were implemented on Tuesday, effective until the end of May. By late April or early May, broader reductions through to the end of the summer scheduling season will be unveiled.

Since the start of the aggression, Lufthansa has taken some of the most drastic steps among global airlines, as serious strikes by pilots and cabin crew also hit it.

Last week, the airline announced the shutdown of its Cityline regional unit and the grounding of 27 older, fuel-guzzling aircraft.