The head of the International Energy Agency has warned that flights could soon be cancelled if oil supplies remain blocked by the Iran War – just as European summer approaches.
“In Europe, we have maybe six weeks or so of jet fuel left,” IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol told the Associated Press on Thursday. “If we are not able to open the Strait of Hormuz… I can tell you soon we will hear the news that some of the flights from city A to city B might be cancelled as a result of lack of jet fuel.”
Birol described the stemming of oil through the Strait of Hormuz – through which nearly 20 per cent of the world’s oil supplies pass in peacetime – as “the largest energy crisis we have ever faced.”
For travellers, the concern is immediate. European aviation is particularly exposed, with around 75 per cent of the continent’s jet fuel imports coming from the Middle East. Industry body Airports Council International Europe has already warned EU officials that a prolonged closure could create critical shortages within weeks.
If supplies tighten further, airlines are expected to ration fuel before resorting to cancellations – prioritising high-demand and long-haul routes, while thinner regional services face the greatest risk of suspension.
The wider economic fallout will bring “higher petrol prices, higher gas prices, higher electricity prices,” Birol warned, with developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America set to bear the heaviest burden.
Even a resolution may not bring quick relief. More than 80 key energy assets in the region have been damaged – over a third severely – meaning a full recovery could take up to two years.
“Some countries may be richer than others. Some may have more energy than others,” Birol said. “But no country is immune to this crisis.”
