Four airports in northern Italy have introduced jet fuel restrictions amid “limited fuel availability”.
Air BP Italia, the Italian division of energy company BP, has told airlines that flight fuel restrictions will be in place until at least 9 April, reported Italian news agency Ansa.
It added that priority will be given to ambulance flights, state flights and journeys over three hours. Direct domestic routes would likely be most affected due the limitations of the new ruling.
Affected aviation hubs include Milan Linate, Bologna, Venice and Treviso.
An aviation notice issued on Saturday said: “Due to limited fuel availability from Air BP Italia, refuelling services for operators contractually linked to Air BP Italia may be subject to restrictions.”
The president of ENAC, a French aviation university, Pierluigi Di Palma, added that current fuel shortages are “linked to the Easter period of heavy traffic, not the Hormuz blockade”.
However, he said: “If the conflict continues, there will be consequences.”
The Save group, which manages the Venice, Treviso, and Verona airports said that fuel restrictions are “not significant”.
“The problem is related to a single supplier and in the Group’s airports there are others that supply the majority of carriers,” the company clarified to Ansa.
Euronews reported: “At the moment, Italy has about seven months’ supply autonomy, but the fragility of the European supply chain remains the central issue for the coming months.”
Fuel shortages could hit other airports in Europe if the Iran-US war continues.
Michael O’Leary, chief executive of Ryanair, has warned of “the risk of supply disruptions in Europe in May and June” unless the war ends quickly.
According to Simon Calder, travel correspondent for The Independent: “Major British and Irish airlines are confident that supplies are sufficient to cover the rest of April. Beyond that, visibility is more difficult.”
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero told The Independent: “Jet fuel shipments are continuing to arrive in the UK. The UK receives imports of jet fuel from India, the US and the Netherlands, as well as smaller amounts from a range of other countries.”
Elsewhere, on Tuesday, Air New Zealand has made more cuts to its domestic flight network in May and June “due to the ongoing impact of high jet fuel costs” – grounding one flight in 25.
Read more: Could your holiday flight be cancelled due to fuel shortages or prices?
