Gatwick Airport jet fuel shortage threatens summer travel

Gatwick Airport, the United Kingdom's second-largest airport, is facing a significant jet fuel shortage that threatens to disrupt the summer holiday travel plans of thousands of passengers. The issue, caused by a technical problem at one of the airport's fuel farms, has prompted airport officials to issue urgent warnings to airlines and pilots.

Internal memos sent to flight crews advised that Gatwick has a shortage of fuel for the next two days and instructed pilots to uplift the maximum possible fuel at their departure airports, or "outstations." A separate notification warned of potential disruption to the airport's fuel supply. While a Gatwick spokesperson stated that all airlines are currently operating as normal, they confirmed that airlines have been advised to monitor fuel availability as engineers work with external suppliers to resolve the technical issue.

The shortage is expected to have the greatest impact on long-haul flights, which are less able to circumvent the problem by carrying extra fuel from abroad due to aircraft weight restrictions. An airline source explained that while pilots will attempt to bring in additional fuel from foreign destinations, they are...