Europe is preparing to deal with one of the most exposed nerves of this energy crisis: jet fuel. Not gas, as in 2022, but oil, diesel, petrol and above all jet fuel, the kerosene which essentially keeps air traffic going.
The prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz and tensions in the Middle East are already driving up prices and depleting commercial inventories. The European Commission admitted that, for now, there would be no immediate shortage, but that the EU must prepare if the crisis goes beyond the end of May, if there is a concrete intention to deal with the already over 12 thousand canceled flights.
For this reason, Brussels is working on new guidelines for airlines, expected from May, with indications on airport slots, public service obligations, anti-tankering and use of imported alternative fuels. The European AccelerateEU plan also provides for this.
The most delicate point concerns the so-called anti-tankering: limiting the extra fuel loaded by planes to avoid distortions and waste. In normal times some companies refuel where it costs less and fly with more fuel on board. In a crisis, however, this practice can worsen imbalances between airports and different countries.
Brussels is also looking to the United States, evaluating the import of Jet A fuel to reduce dependence on the most unstable areas. But the problem remains enormous: commercial stocks are in the hands of private operators and cannot be made public in detail. Translated: the EU is trying to coordinate, but does not yet have a completely transparent and real-time picture.
For this reason, a European Fuel Observatory will be created, designed to monitor stocks, imports, exports and refining capacity almost in real time. A necessary tool, but not immediate. In the meantime, some countries are already thinking about stronger measures: mandatory minimum stocks of kerosene, joint purchases and possible coordinated use of strategic reserves.
And the passengers?
Here comes the less reassuring part. EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas clarified that if a flight is canceled due to a real lack of fuel, the situation can be considered an “exceptional circumstance”: in that case financial compensation is not automatically triggered. However, the right to assistance, reimbursement or rerouting on another flight remains. The case of cancellations motivated only by increased costs is different: there the compensation may remain due.
The risk, with summer just around the corner, is clear: fewer flights, more expensive tickets, shorter routes and passengers more exposed to uncertainty. In the United Kingdom, for example, authorities have already allowed airlines to cancel or combine flights to save fuel and reduce last-minute inconveniences.
The paradox is this: Europe knows that it must consume less, coordinate better and depend less on imports. But it continues to move with caution, between incomplete data, national interests and fear of asking for sacrifices. And meanwhile the energy crisis progresses.
