Europe’s aviation industry could face major disruptions to flight operations due to the hostilities in Iran and the closure of the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, has stated this in an interview with the German news agency dpa.
The European Commissioner noted that the current "situation is not good," as the energy crisis has already begun to dictate new conditions in the air transport market. According to Tzitzikostas, although more than 80% of European airports are not currently reporting a physical shortage of fuel, prices have more than doubled. This has led many companies to suspend routes that were barely profitable even before the war.
The further isolation of key transport routes is a particular cause for concern. As the European Commissioner added, “should the blockade continue and no solution be found, shortages could arise after June.” At the same time, he emphasized that a real shortage in Europe is not yet expected, as emergency reserves are available.
To monitor resources, EU member states are now required to report their reserves daily. This allows for constant oversight of available capacity. However, Tzitzikostas noted that if a shortage does occur after June, “these stocks could be released in a targeted manner” to stabilize the situation.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on March 12, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the preparation of new support programs for Ukrainians, specifically a UAH 1,500 supplement for 13 million Ukrainians, including pensioners and recipients of social assistance, as well as support for citizens due to the destabilization of the fuel market resulting from the situation surrounding Iran and the reduction of oil supplies to the global market.
Who we are: About us, Contacts. How we write news and our principles: Editorial code. We did our best. If you found this valuable – please support us.
To request a correction, please send an email.