BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - Faced with potential flight cancellations due to stalling jet fuel supplies, air cargo companies are demanding priority access to fuel. "We may reach a situation where kerosene has to be rationed in Germany, as is already the case in Italy," Claus Wagner, Chairman of the Association of German Air Cargo Handlers (Vacad), told "Die Welt".
"We are facing a scenario similar to the Corona pandemic. Smaller airports, in particular, will eventually see restricted service or no flights at all."
Christopher Stoller, President of the Aircargo Club Deutschland (ACD), told the newspaper that if fuel becomes scarce, prioritizing air freight logistics is an economic necessity. "The air cargo sector serves as the critical backbone of global supply chains and industrial value creation." Economic stability must be the primary objective, he added.
According to aviation expert Heinrich Grossbongardt, a dramatic situation could unfold in Germany this summer. "Berlin and Brussels will then have to decide which flights are given priority for fuel supplies."
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), jet fuel could become scarce in parts of Europe in the coming weeks due to the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. "Several European countries could face an incipient shortage of kerosene over the next six weeks," stated the Paris-based IEA. This depends on how much of the lost shipments from the Middle East countries can offset through other imports./cab/DP/zb
