United Airlines believes that fuel prices will constrain capacity through the end of 2027.

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said that if aviation fuel prices remain high, the company may continue to restrict its capacity until the end of 2027. He expects that if the higher fuel costs related to the war with Iran do not decrease, the capacity growth required by the company in 2027 will be less than what was planned just two months ago. Due to fuel costs, United Airlines has already reduced its capacity for 2026 and will further reduce it by 5 percentage points for the remainder of this year. These capacity restriction measures include canceling flights on non-peak days and times, as well as canceling flights to Tel Aviv and Dubai due to the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.