FT: ‘European airports will face fuel shortages within three weeks’
Trade association ACI Europe warns that European airports will face fuel shortages if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened within three weeks, reported the Financial Times on Friday.
ACI Europe, which represents European airports, warns in a letter to European Commissioner for Transport Apostolos Tzitzikostas – seen by the Financial Times – of “growing concern within the airport sector regarding the availability of aviation fuel and the need for proactive monitoring and measures by the EU”.
“If transit through the Strait of Hormuz is not resumed in a significant and stable manner within the next three weeks, a systemic shortage of aviation fuel will become a reality for the EU,” the letter states. It also notes that the approaching summer peak season – “when air travel enables the entire tourism ecosystem on which many European economies rely” – has heightened those concerns.
Some Asian countries, such as Vietnam, have begun rationing aviation fuel due to shortages, but Europe has so far not experienced widespread shortages, although fuel prices have doubled and airlines have warned of cancellations.
Despite US president Donald Trump’s announcement of a two-week ceasefire in the war with Iran, global oil prices have remained high.
European airlines claim they have enough fuel to last several weeks, but suppliers cannot guarantee deliveries in May.
Illustration © PHOTO Eric PIERMONT / AFP