British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines Group (LON:ICAG) SA (LSE:IAG) and easyJet (LON:EZJ) PLC faced pressure on Monday as climbing oil prices threatened higher fuel costs ahead.
IAG shares fell by 3.5% to 304.9p, while easyJet dipped by 2.7% to 494.2p on the back of a further climb by benchmark Brent crude to top the US$80 a barrel mark.
Come Monday afternoon, Brent was up 1.7% and 5.6% for the day and week respectively at US$81.13 and trading at its highest level since August.
Analysts have previously pointed to mounting headwinds from higher fuel prices for airlines as a result of the rise.
Though airlines buy some fuel in advance to hedge against potential increases, oil’s latest rise comes after a new wave of US sanctions against Russian oil last week which have threatened to wipe off the impact of an expected supply surplus this year.
easyJet reported in November that it was 80% hedged on fuel for the first half of 2025, with this set to fall to 24% come early 2026.
IAG highlighted a similar strategy to hedge “a proportion” of its fuel consumption for up to two years.
According to the airline, the fair value of such contracts was €121 million (£102 million) over the first half of the year as buying in advance paid off.
Shares in rivals Wizz Air Holdings PLC (AIM:LON:WIZZ) and Ryanair (LON:0RYA) Holdings PLC (LSE:RYA), alongside engine maker Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC (LSE:LON:RR.), also slipped as a result on Monday.
The reporting season will begin shortly for the European short-haul operators, with easyJet's update due on 22 January, Ryanair on 27 January and Wizz on 30 January.
Analysts at UBS noted that apart from IAG, UK and Irish airline shares have been under pressure since the start of the year.
They attributed this to several factors, including rising oil prices, with jet kerosene up 6%; a weaker pound and euro with airlines short US dollars; weak economic data and political uncertainty leading to rising bond yields; the potential impact on travel given recent and proposed government taxes; and uncertainty about what the new US presidency will mean for economies and impact on aviation.
"In the short term this uncertainty might make wary investors stay away from the sector," they said.
In the upcoming trading updates, the focus from investors "will be on the outlook given the uncertainty from the economic backdrop".