EU jet‑fuel shortage warning
Airports Council International warned that more than 100 EU airports could face systemic jet‑fuel shortages within about three weeks if the Strait of Hormuz remains unstable. The advisory said roughly 170 million summer travelers could be at risk and airlines warned shortages might trigger flight cancellations as peak season approaches. ( )
Europe’s airport trade group says fuel disruption in the Strait of Hormuz could leave more than 100 European Union airports short of jet fuel within about three weeks. (iata.org) The immediate risk comes from Europe’s dependence on Gulf supplies: the International Air Transport Association said in March that 25% to 30% of Europe’s jet-fuel demand originates in the Persian Gulf. It also said commercial fuel inventories typically cover just over one month of demand. (iata.org) The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow shipping lane between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, and the International Energy Agency says about 20 million barrels a day of crude oil and oil products moved through it in 2025. That was about one-quarter of global seaborne oil trade. (iea.org) The aviation problem is not just crude oil prices. Jet fuel has to be refined, shipped, stored and piped to airports, and the International Air Transport Association says tanker traffic through Hormuz fell 70% to 80% after the Middle East conflict escalated on February 28, 2026. (iata.org) Europe entered that shock with a weaker cushion than it had a few years ago. The International Air Transport Association said four European refineries stopped crude processing in 2025, removing about 400,000 barrels a day of capacity. (iata.org) That refinery decline has pushed airlines and airports deeper into import dependence. The same International Air Transport Association brief said Europe’s jet-fuel supply chains now rely on cross-border trucking, rail, pipelines, ports and storage networks that are unevenly developed across the region. (iata.org) The warning lands just as Europe’s summer travel build-up is underway. Airports Council International Europe said in February that European airports handled a record 2.6 billion passengers in 2025 and expected traffic to keep growing in 2026. (aci-europe.org) The International Energy Agency says some Gulf oil can bypass Hormuz through pipelines, with 3.5 million to 5.5 million barrels a day of alternative export capacity available. But it also says bypass options are limited and even a short disruption would hit oil markets hard. (iea.org) Airlines have been pushing governments to treat fuel supply as an operational risk, not only a price risk. The International Air Transport Association said Europe needs more resilient sourcing, stronger infrastructure and, over time, more sustainable aviation fuel production to reduce exposure to shocks like this one. (iata.org) For now, the industry’s timetable is measured in weeks, not seasons. If Gulf shipments stay constrained into late April and May 2026, the pressure would move from trading desks to airport hydrant systems and flight schedules. (iata.org)
