Commercial flights from four airports in northern Italy, Milan-Linate, Venice Marco Polo, Bologna and Treviso, will be affected by fuel supply restrictions until April 9, due to the “limited availability” faced by the operator Air BP Italia, EFE wrote on Saturday.
Airlines have been informed that refueling for operators contracted to Air BP Italia is subject to limitations.
Thus, in order to ensure the operation of essential services, a priority order of flights was established.
At the airports concerned, priority will be given to air ambulance flights, state runs and long-haul routes.
Refueling limits for other flights
For the other flights there will be a maximum fuel limit per aircraft – 2,000 liters at Bologna and Venice, respectively 2,500 at Treviso. There are also restrictions in Milan, but no quantitative ceiling was explicitly mentioned, notes Il Sole 24 Ore publication.
In the case of Venice Marco Polo Airport, the technical advisory urges pilots “to calculate sufficient fuel from the previous airport for subsequent flight segments”, according to Agerpres.
The average consumption of commercial aircraft such as Airbus A320 or Boeing 737 varies between 2,000 and 3,000 liters of fuel per hour.
They are the first restrictions aimed at refueling airplanes in Italy, Agenzia Nova also wrote.
The problems relate in particular to the supply of Jet A1, a kerosene-type fuel used in civil aviation and by aircraft operating at commercial airports and air bases.
The restrictions come in the context of the crisis caused by the war in the Middle East on the energy market. The blockage in the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supplies passed in peacetime, has caused major turbulence in the energy market and is having effects felt in all areas of the consumer market.
