Jet fuel shortage is a ‘real concern’, warns KM Malta chairman

Updated 10.50am

The chairman of the national airline has warned that a jet fuel shortage ahead of the summer months is a “real concern” for local airlines, even if Malta’s own supply remains intact.

KM Malta Airlines chairman David Curmi told Times of Malta that, while Malta’s own jet fuel supply should not be a problem, the airline could still face difficulties when refuelling at other destinations.

“It’s a real concern,” he said. “Although in Malta we don’t seem to have the problem, if there’s a short supply on the other end we still can’t operate as usual.”

Curmi was speaking to Times of Malta after the head of a global energy watchdog warned that Europe has only six weeks of jet fuel left before shortages will hit due to the Iran war.

Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air has already encountered some jet fuel shortages at three airports in Italy but the problems were resolved within a day.

David O’Brien, chief executive of Ryanair’s Malta subsidiary Malta Air, was less concerned about a fuel shortage. He said most of the airline’s main bases have sufficient fuel stocks to cover the six-week period, although there is still a risk of shortages.

“Some of the smaller airports may end up with challenges with respect to fuel. The larger ones will be fine. Not all of the jet fuel for Europe comes from the Gulf,” he said.

O’Brien said if fuel prices rose, the airline’s competitors without hedging arrangements in place to protect against big increases would start cutting capacity, reducing demand for fuel. 

Both aviation leaders spoke to Times of Malta on the fringes of Deloitte’s Malta Aviation Conference held at the Phoenicia hotel yesterday. 

Dutch airline KLM has already said it would cut 160 flights in the coming month because of high kerosene jet fuel prices.

Global fuel supplies have been under pressure since Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which an estimated one-fifth of global oil supplies pass, although Iran’s foreign minister yesterday announced that the Strait of Hormuz was “completely open” for the remainder of the ceasefire.

On Thursday, the head of the International Energy Agency warned Europe has “maybe six weeks or so [of] jet fuel left” due to restricted supply flow.

Fatih Birol said that some flights might have to be cancelled because of a lack of jet fuel, in addition to concerns to secure supplies.

Despite continent-wide shortage warnings, Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Thursday that Malta would not run out of aviation fuel.

He said Malta was prepared to face potential energy challenges beyond August.

Peter Agius suggests suspending EU rules

Under EU anti-tankering rules introduced in January 2025, commercial planes within the EU must ensure that 90 per cent of fuel required for flights departing from any EU airport is obtained from that airport. 

The rule is intended to prevent planes from flying with full tanks of heavy fuel they will not use on those flights, reducing their emission output. 

But the rules could prove problematic if aviation fuel shortages persist, PN MEP Peter Agius warned on Saturday. 

Agius said he has written to the European Commission to urge them to suspend those anti-tankering rules if problems continue, to ensure Malta is not left isolated.

"In the current context, these rules could endanger Malta's connectivity," he said. "We are an island. We don't have trains and highways and rely entirely on air transport."