European airports have warned the EU that jet fuel shortages could hit the summer holiday season if oil supplies do not start to flow through the strait of Hormuz within the next three weeks, according to Airports Council International (ACI) Europe. The warning came after ACI Europe reportedly wrote to EU transport commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas, stating the bloc is three weeks away from shortages — the letter was first reported by the Financial Times.

Jet Fuel Shortages and Holiday Travel

The warning raises concerns about the risk of flight or holiday cancellations if the US and Israel’s war on Iran continues. Oil prices have soared since the start of March after Iran effectively closed the strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for exports from the Gulf, in retaliation. The closure has disrupted global oil trade, with a fifth of the world’s oil and gas typically passing through the strait.

The situation has triggered protests over fuel prices in Ireland and spread to Norway as a knock-on effect from the conflict in the Middle East; Hauliers, farmers, and other groups blocked motorways and brought parts of Dublin to a standstill on Friday in a fourth consecutive day of action. The protests have caused chaos and raised concerns over the availability of essential supplies.

Ireland’s Fuel Crisis and Government Response

In Ireland. The protests have sparked fuel shortages and travel disruption — In Norway, lorry drivers taking part in the “diesel roar” protest descended on the capital. The Irish government has put the army on standby to help remove blockades, and police warned some protesters to disperse or face arrest, prompting defiance and threats to continue the disruption for weeks if necessary.

Protests were endangering critical supplies of food, fuel, clean water, and animal feed, the police force, An Garda Síochána, said in a statement — “This is not tolerable and is against the law.” Government leaders have accused protesters of holding the country to “ransom.”

The blockade of ports and a refinery meant Ireland was on the verge of turning away oil deliveries and losing its supply, the taoiseach, Mícheál Martin, told RTÉ. “It is unconscionable, it’s illogical.”

Rising Inflation and Fuel Prices

US inflation soared in March amid the US-Israel war with Iran, with prices up 0.9% compared to last month and 3.3% over the year, according to new data released Friday. The spike in the consumer price index (CPI), which measures the price of a basket of goods and services, is the largest in nearly two years and the first official measure of how the conflict has impacted US consumer prices.

The index for energy rose 10.9% in March, led by a 21.2% increase in the index for gasoline, which accounted for nearly three quarters of the monthly all items increase. Airfares rose 2.7% in March and were 14.9% higher than a year earlier; the rising fuel costs have had a ripple effect across the global economy, with European airports facing the most immediate threat to their operations.

European airports face fuel shortages as the conflict in the Middle East continues to disrupt global oil trade, and the situation has placed pressure on governments and airlines to find alternative solutions to maintain air travel and avoid disruptions to the summer holiday season.

With oil prices at their highest level in recent years, the risk of flight cancellations and travel disruptions looms large — European airports are now racing against time to secure enough jet fuel to sustain their operations through the summer.