UK government says no jet fuel shortage as airlines maintain stocks

Airlines are not experiencing jet fuel shortages, despite the Middle East war, as carriers maintain advance purchasing contracts and airports hold buffer stocks to support operational resilience, the UK government said May 6.

Only 120 UK flights were cancelled in May, representing 0.53% of scheduled services and within the typical 1% cancellation rate seen in normal years, The Department for Transport said in a statement. Most UK cancellations involved Middle East routes, the department said. Forward bookings show only 0.2% of flights cancelled from June through August, the statement said.

"UK airlines buy jet fuel in advance, and airports maintain stocks to support their resilience," the government said. "The government is working closely with the aviation industry to monitor risks and minimize disruption to passengers."

The Department for Transport, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office have been monitoring UK jet fuel stocks and coordinating with airlines, airports and fuel suppliers since the Strait of Hormuz closure, the government said. The departments are planning for contingencies while focusing on resuming shipping through the strait, which handles significant Middle East crude and refined product exports to global markets.

Supply headwinds

Nevertheless, jet fuel stocks at the Northwest Europe refining hub of Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp are under strain. Jet fuel stocks at ARA fell 5% on the week to 552,000 mt on April 30, hitting a six-year low, according to Insights Global.

Globally, airlines are cutting flights and raising fares as jet fuel costs roughly doubled following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, with carriers warning that hedging strategies cannot fully offset the impact of the supply disruptions that are boosting refined product prices.

For now, it seems to be price rather than supply that is causing the cuts to schedules. Lufthansa Group will remove 20,000 short-haul flights from its schedule through October 2026, equivalent to 40,000 metric tons of jet fuel, the price of which has doubled since the outbreak of the Middle East war, the group said in a statement on April 22.

Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, assessed jet cargoes on a CIF basis in NWE versus Dated Brent at $65.87/b May 5, compared to $34.41/b on Feb. 27, before the war started, and against a five-year average of $26.45/b.

Airport Coordination Limited, the independent body managing slot allocation at UK airports, has updated guidance to exempt airlines from the standard 80% slot utilization requirement if fuel shortages prevent operations, the statement said.

The "use it or lose it" rule typically requires airlines to operate at least 80% of allocated takeoff and landing slots to retain them for the following year.

The government is also consulting industry on temporary slot rule changes for summer 2026 and winter 2026 seasons that would allow airlines to consolidate multiple daily flights to the same destination, enabling better schedule planning and reduced fuel consumption per passenger, the Department for Transport said.