Germany’s airlines and airports are sounding the alarm as dwindling jet fuel stocks threaten to cause a collapse in air travel in the coming months.
The German Aviation Association (BDL), a lobbying group representing the country’s biggest airlines and airports, has now appealed to the federal government to step in, warning that unless it intervenes, large-scale flight cancellations could begin from June onwards, threatening the main summer holiday season.
The kerosene market is especially affected by the current supply crisis following the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz, as around 50 per cent of global production capacity is located in the Persian Gulf region.
On April 16, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Fatih Birol, warned that Europe could run out of jet fuel within six weeks.
BDL director Joachim Lang told newspaper Welt: “A shortage of kerosene would inevitably lead to reduced flight connections. This would cause considerable damage to the German and European economies, which rely on good connections to the rest of the world. The tourism industry would also be affected.”
The association suggests a package of measures. Key among them is the release of national and European kerosene reserves. Moreover, BDL wants access to the NATO pipeline system to better supply the main airports of Frankfurt, Cologne, Munich and Zurich with kerosene.
The NATO pipeline system was set up during the Cold War to supply military forces with fuel and other petroleum products.
Another BDL demand is that Germany allow the use of Jet A category kerosene, in addition to the current EU standard Jet A-1, which contains certain additives to reduce handling risks. Jet A kerosene is primarily used in the US and its approval for use would broaden the supply base for European airlines.
Lastly, German airlines are also urging the government to shield them from claims for damages under the EU Regulation on Passenger Rights, as jet fuel scarcity makes short-term flight cancellations or delays increasingly likely.
Brussels Signal reached out to BDL for comment but had not heard back at the time of writing.
