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Holidaymakers heading to Spain and Italy this summer are being warned their travel plans could be thrown into chaos after more than 13,000 flights in May were suddenly axed across the globe. The thousands upon thousands of cancelled flights represent two millions seats worldwide according to aviation analyst Cirium.

Although the figure represents a 1.5% reduction in capacity it comes amid concerns that ongoing jet fuel supply issues could lead to additional flight cancellations over the summer. Despite only 120 flights from the UK having been given the chop, Cirium told theI Paper that cuts are expected to increase. Cirium said travellers can expect flights to cut in the popular summer seasons of June and June as the conflict in Iran rages on and the jet fuel crisis deepens.

Flights to popular holiday destinations like Spain and Italy are thought to be most at risk, as airlines running several daily services can more easily rebook passengers onto other flights.

Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said airlines "will have to cancel more flights for the summer" if conflict in the strait continues.

He added: "Cancellations are more likely on those routes with multiple frequencies as well as traditionally unprofitable routes. Airlines always use a crisis to cut routes that don't work for them."

Whilst aviation analyst Sally Gethin warned no passenger can assume their flights "definitely is safe".

She said: "I don't think anybody can assume once they book their flight that it is definitely is safe. The trouble is, they're left having to sit on their hands with this because they're not in the driving seat."

Lufthansa is among the airlines who have axed the most amount of flights with the German carrier announcing on April 21 that it will be scrapping 20,000 planned services from its schedule.

The aviation giant will cut swathes of flights between May and October in a bid to conserve fuel, revealing the sweeping cancellations in a statement.

"In total, 20,000 short-haul flights will be removed from the schedule through October, equivalent to approximately 40,000 metric tonnes of jet fuel, the price of which has doubled since the outbreak of the Iran conflict," a spokesperson for Lufthansa said in its online statement.