Four major Italian airports could soon face jet fuel restrictions if disruptions linked to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continue.
An aviation notice issued on Saturday, 4 April, warned that ‘due to limited fuel availability’ from Air BP Italia, refuelling services for airlines under contract with the supplier may be restricted.
Affected airports include Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport, Milan Linate Airport, Treviso Airport, and Venice Marco Polo Airport.
Reports from ANSA say priority access to fuel will be given to emergency services, such as ambulance and state flights, as well as long-haul flights exceeding three hours.
Other flights could face restrictions until at least 9 April.
The Strait of Hormuz, one of the most important waterways in the world, has been effectively shut off since the US-Israeli war with Iran broke out in late February.
With its key role in the global trade of oil, its closure has sent oil and gas prices soaring, and has destabilised economies across the world.
Danilo Recine, vice president of the ANPAC, told SkyTG24 that the current situation is unlikely to cause immediate cancellations in Italy – but warned ‘the problem will become a reality’ if no resolution is found to blockage affection oil shipments in the Gulf.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Melona visited several Gulf states over the weekend in a bid to secure continued access to critical energy supplies amid the ongoing conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran.
She vowed to act to ‘guarantee Italy has access to the energy supple it needs’, as reported by Politico.
Shortages could spread beyond Italy if the blockade continues, with major airports in the UK, such as Heathrow Airport, having already reported fuel-related disruptions, while key hubs in countries like France and Portugal may also be at risk.
In mid-March, Vietnam warned of possible flight cancellations from April, becoming the first country to sound the alarm after China and Thailand halted fuel exports to protect their own supplies.
Jet fuel prices in Europe have surged to record highs and are now nearly double pre-conflict levels, rising far faster than crude oil due to heavy reliance on Middle Eastern exports.
Traders warned of ‘acute tightness’ in the market next month as supplies dry up, while the International Air Transport Association told The Times the crisis had exposed ‘deep vulnerabilities in jet fuel security’.
Airlines are monitoring the situation closely, with one industry source warning it is a growing concern, particularly for long-haul operators.
Meanwhile, Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary warned that travellers face a summer of uncertainty if the Middle East conflict continues to disrupt global oil routes.
Speaking to Sky News, Mr O’Leary said that while the budget airline was ‘reasonably well-hedged’ on 80 per cent of jet fuel, passengers could be hit with disruption from ‘early May’.
‘Fuel suppliers are constantly looking at the market. We don’t expect any disruption until early May,’ O’Leary said.
‘But if the war continues, we do run the risk of supply disruptions in Europe in May and June, and we hope the war will finish sooner than that and the risk to supply will be eliminated.’
Revealing he was paying $150 (£113.21) a barrel for around 20 per cent of his fuel, he insisted the more ‘immediate concern’ was if there would be enough jet fuel to keep planes flying.
He said the travel industry was under the heel of the war in the Middle East as Donald Trump dramatically washed his hands of the crisis and told the UK to ‘go get your own oil’.
Expressing his hope that the war ends sooner rather than later, he also warned there is a ‘reasonable risk’ that anywhere from 10 to 25 per cent of supplies could be in danger in both May and June – possibly spelling summer travel chaos for millions
