IATA, EASA Urge Jet A Prep Amid Jet A1 Shortages

The International Air Transport Association and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency have urged European airlines and airports to prepare for a potential switch to U.S.-specification Jet A fuel as shortages of the standard Jet A1 grade loom due to disruptions from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

IATA, which represents airlines worldwide, highlighted the idea in a recent blog post by its director of flight and technical operations, Stuart Fox. He noted that Jet A1 supplies, primarily sourced from the Gulf region via the Strait of Hormuz, face constraints from Iran's restrictions on tanker movements and broader war-related pressures. Jet A, produced at scale outside the Gulf including in the United States and Canada, offers a viable alternative. The two fuels are similar kerosene-based products approved for most aircraft, differing mainly in maximum freezing points: minus 47 degrees Celsius for Jet A1, providing more margin for long-haul and polar routes, versus minus 40 degrees Celsius for Jet A.

Fox wrote that adopting Jet A "could give airlines facing a possible shortfall in fuel supply more options" and help "make better use of the fuel we have and keep schedules...