IATA warns jet fuel crisis

International Air Transport Association chief Willie Walsh said on April 28 that a jet-fuel shortage tied to the war in Iran could hit Asia first as summer travel demand rises. (reuters.com) Walsh told Reuters he expects the pressure to spread from Asia to Europe, then Africa and Latin America, and said some airlines may start cutting schedules before the northern hemisphere’s peak summer season. (reuters.com) He said the crisis is not yet on the scale of the COVID-19 collapse in air travel, because passenger demand remains strong, but fuel availability is becoming the immediate constraint. (reuters.com) Jet fuel is the refined kerosene airlines burn on every flight, and shortages can disrupt operations even when planes, crews and passengers are all in place. Airlines can add fuel stops, tanker fuel from other airports or cancel flights, but each option raises costs and scrambles schedules. (iata.org) (euronews.com) IATA said on April 17 that shortages were already appearing in parts of Asia and urged governments to prepare coordinated rationing plans, including temporary slot relief if carriers are forced to cut flying. (iata.org) That warning followed a broader alarm from the International Energy Agency, which said Europe had only weeks of jet-fuel cover if disrupted Middle East supply routes and refinery outages were not replaced. (cnbc.com) (aircargonews.net) Walsh said regulators could ease some pressure by moving faster to approve use of Jet A fuel in Europe where specifications allow, a step aimed at widening the usable pool of aviation fuel. (channelnewsasia.com) The problem lands as airlines head into the busiest and most profitable stretch of the year, when carriers usually add flights, not remove them. A fuel squeeze at that moment threatens capacity, fares and on-time performance at once. (reuters.com) (aviationbusinessme.com) Walsh’s message was blunt: the industry is still flying, but if fuel cannot get to the right airports in the next few weeks, summer schedules will be the first thing to give. (reuters.com)