Apr 07, 2026
3 min read
Spain is currently reeling from signs of fuel shortages, while Italy's airports are announcing streamlining and major airlines are reassessing their strategies due to the Iran war and rising fares.
The risk of fuel shortages threatens the aviation sector already at the beginning of summer
While Spain is currently reeling from signs of fuel shortages, rationing has been announced at Italian airports, major airlines are also reviewing their strategies due to the war in Iran and rising prices.
A serious international energy crisis, uncertainty about the outcome of the conflicts in the Middle East and the proximity of summer with peaks in demand have increased concerns for the Spanish aviation sector.Evidence of aviation fuel shortages in a variety of markets continues to accumulate, which will lead to trade fights and unprecedented restrictions on aviation fuel consumption.
Ryanair has stepped up the possibility of cutting production if the war in Iran continues beyond April.Volotea is canceling a series of flights scheduled for an upcoming date and this weekend the first official record on European oil restrictions is distributed.All this after fuel tanks are at minimum in several Asian countries due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to the passage of oil tankers.
After 2025, the economic results, hand-in-hand with strong demand, the airlines closed in the first quarter of 2026 affected by the increase in fuel prices, the situation will worsen." airlines.
As EL PAÍS has learned, the Ena airport manager reviewed all the points in the Spanish network before Easter without noticing any problems with the fuel supply.This week, according to sources inside the company, they are conducting the same study to update the information.Exolum, the operator of the fuel supply system from refineries to runways, has confirmed that the supply of airports operating in Spain and other European countries is maintained at "normal and usual stock levels".
"From a supply point of view, the system operates normally. The refineries meet the pump plan, supply and import traders are developing as planned, and there are no related conflicts," they added.According to Exolum, "as of March 26, kerosene activity is higher than last year."Spain is now escaping the tensions that are emerging in other countries, such as the United Kingdom.
In the IAG group, owner of the Spanish companies Iberia, Vueling and Level, as well as the British Airways British Airways and the Irish Aer Lingus, the situation is followed up to the minute.The market is waiting for an announcement from him about the expectations due to the exposure of the United Kingdom to the crisis and the impact that the lack of fuel can have in the operations in Asia.
Since Wednesday, a Volotea spokesperson has demanded that the company contact passengers affected by the increase in jet fuel prices so they can "rearrange their travel plans and inform them of the options available to them, including changing flights at no extra charge or requesting a full refund."The company says the changes are necessary "to ensure the stability of operations and continue to provide regular service while minimizing the impact until the conflict is prolonged."Currently, a small proportion (about 1%) of its operations in its core markets of France, Italy and Spain will be affected until the end of the summer season.
Air travel has been in limbo since the United States and Israel attacked Iran, leading to an immediate shutdown of Middle Eastern airspace and rising fuel bills.Argus' US Jet Fuel Index accounts for a 135 percent increase in fuel prices since Jan. 1, and IATA's price monitor shows a 104 percent increase in March.Financial hedges against the price of crude oil have partly eased Europe's biggest airlines in several months, but not because of the problem.with refueling due to the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Airports served by BP in Italy are experiencing supply problems until next Thursday, medical,State flights and supplies that will take more than three hours are decided to be prioritized, while the rest are limited.Italy's civil aviation authority, ENAC, said the restrictions were more linked to high Easter demand, and that reducing the supply of short-haul flights could help, although the restrictions try to stem the tide.than the condition of Hormuz.
Therefore, it is not yet known whether the crisis will last for days or weeks, or whether planes will even land next summer.Ryanair Group chief executive Michael O'Leary told Sky News last Wednesday: "We believe the struggle [over supply constraints] will be over by then and the risk will have disappeared."
This crisis is already the most worrying for the aviation sector due to the pandemic, between the cancellation of flights due to airport closures, rising costs and now the risk of kerosene drought.In the first phase of this difficult situation, Asian airlines were the first to learn about the fuel shortage, which increased demand in other parts of the world, affecting higher prices.
In terms of shortages, the UK and its main airport, London-Heathrow, have been exposed by their dependence on fuel from the Middle East and the United States, with the former blocked and the latter committed to US domestic consumption.In addition to this airport, other large European hubs, such as Frankfurt, are also considered high risk in terms of fuel supply in the sector;There are flight cuts in Scandinavian countries, especially SAS, and Australian airports are on alert, such as Melbourne and Sydney;from Delhi and Bombay in India;Hong Kong and South Korea, among others.
"What started as a supply disruption in the Middle East is becoming a global structural problem, and it's evolving quickly," aviation industry analyst Alex Macheras wrote in a column published by the Qatari Gulf Times.He added: "No European country has a bigger problem with this problem than the UK and no European airport is easier than London's Heathrow," he added.
Among the biggest European airlines, Lufthansa, Air France and British Airways are waiting to ensure that each of their operations to the Asia-Pacific region can be sustained by relying on filling the tanks of their planes on the other side of the globe.Regarding the price, the airline Iata estimates that the main references of the Old Continent have their fuel needs at a price set at 65% to 80% of the expected consumption in the next 12 months.The shield is equipped with financial products and prevention strategies, which are important in the event of an energy crisis.But there is no guarantee of the availability of the necessary fuel, despite the fact that many have important supply contracts.
Low-cost Ryanair has covered 80% of its estimated consumption until March next year at $67 per barrel.The problem then is whether you will have access to enough jet fuel to sustain the plan.In the case of the IAG group, its flights are protected from price fluctuations up to 75% of consumption in 2026, reducing in the next two years to 20% in the third.The participating company led by Luis Gallego started 2026 with fuel costs estimated at 7,000 to 7,400 million euros, with 62% locked in fixed prices.
Air France-KLM Group decided to change its fuel coverage policy earlier this year, before the war in Iran, increasing its guaranteed cost coverage from six to eight quarters, and from 68% to 87% of estimated annual consumption.with 29%. More open are the Scandinavian airlines such as SAS and Norwegian, and the US and Latin American destinations, among which is not the standard price.
Iata CEO Willie Walsh warned at a public event on March 12 that ticket prices could rise by up to 9% due to rising oil prices, with Brent at around $100 a barrel at the time.The price at the beginning of the week reached 109 dollars.Initial expectations about Iata may fail.
Aviation has between 25% and 30% of its operating costs in fuel and is completely dependent on fuel availability.Currently, Iata has not published any update on business prospects: $41 billion in net global profit due to a 4.4% increase in traffic.If half a month ago the situation was not alarming, as Willie Walsh said, the approach of summer and the alarm about the shortage of oil have increased the anxiety significantly.
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