Three weeks' supply

Ahead of summer: Airlines warn of fuel shortages

Tickets are getting more expensive, and some flights are even being canceled.(Bild: Markus Mainka – stock.adobe.com)

Bad news ahead of the summer season: Europe’s airlines are warning not only of rising costs but increasingly of dwindling reserves. The kerosene shortage caused by the war in Iran is reaching Europe. Reserves will last only three more weeks. Now the airlines are calling on the EU for help.

Ticket prices are already rising; the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is making kerosene scarce and more expensive worldwide, and airlines are passing on these costs. But now companies are even warning of shortages. This is already evident in Asia: Vietnam Airlines has already canceled some flights, and in Pakistan, pilots are hoarding fuel.

AUA remains calm
In Europe, Lufthansa already has concrete plans. Up to 40 jets could remain grounded, said CEO Carsten Spohr. The Austrian carrier AUA does not yet foresee any supply problems but is preparing for various scenarios. The current crisis is resulting in 1.5 billion euros in additional costs across the entire Lufthansa Group.

Tickets are getting more expensive, and flight schedules are even being canceled.(Bild: Markus Mainka – stock.adobe.com)

Airlines are very concerned. Reserves could run out in three weeks. The industry association Airports Council International Europe (ACI) warns of a systematic shortage, likely by mid-May.

Now, calls for EU assistance are growing louder. The plan is to jointly procure kerosene, and taxes as well as CO₂ levies should be eliminated or reduced to ease the burden on companies.

The SPÖ is also weighing in on the kerosene crisis. “If the worst comes to the worst, the EU Commission must first cut back on private jet flights,” demand MPs Julia Herr and Wolfgang Moitzi. Each year, these flights emit as much greenhouse gas as all flights departing from London’s Heathrow Airport.