European airports are facing severe shortages of jet fuel in the coming weeks if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened as soon as possible, an industry body has said.

ACI Europe, a trade body representing airports around Europe, has written to EU transport commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas expressing “increasing concern” about the shortage of the fuel. It warns that large numbers of flights face cancellation within weeks.

In the letter, ACI called for “proactive EU monitoring and action” to ensure the aviation sector was getting the fuel it needed, which includes identifying alternative import sources.

In recent decades, aviation has become increasingly reliant on the Middle East for its jet fuel supplies due to closures of older refineries in the West and the opening of state-of-the-art ‘mega refineries’ along the strait. In particular, the Al-Zour Refinery in Kuwait has a processing capacity of 615,000 barrels per day and is one of the largest refineries in the world. However, it is reliant on the Strait to export its product to Europe and the West and is currently blocked from doing so.

While some larger European airports such as Heathrow have storage tankers on-site, this is generally only enough for around seven days of flights at the absolute maximum.

In the letter seen by The Financial Times, ACI Europe said that reserves across European airports are running low and suppliers are unable to guarantee deliveries beyond the coming weeks. 

“If the passage through the Strait of Hormuz does not resume in any significant and stable way within the next three weeks, [a] systemic jet fuel shortage is set to become a reality for the EU,” the letter stated.

“The fact that we are entering the peak summer season ... is only adding to those concerns. This crisis has exposed the reduced refining capacity of the EU for jet fuel production, and its acute dependence on imports from other world regions.”

The current shortage bolsters the case for escalating production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), which is typically derived from waste and renewable feedstocks such as used cooking oil, animal fats and agricultural waste.

“Additional support for SAF is also about strategic autonomy, which the current crisis is even more bringing to the fore,” ACI Europe said.

Today’s SAF can only supplant a certain proportion of jet fuel due to the way it combusts in a plane engine. However, Washington State University researchers recently unveiled a technique to produce a form of aromatic kerosene directly from vegetable oils that, when blended with paraffinic SAF, can entirely supplement fossil-fuel-derived jet fuels.