A jet fuel shortage is looming in Russia due to attacks on oil refineries
The Association of An-2 Operators has appealed to the Russian Ministry of Transport with a proposal to introduce state regulation of prices for aviation kerosene and aviation gasoline due to a severe fuel shortage.
The crisis is worsening due to regular attacks by Ukrainian drones on Russian oil refineries, which have led to a critical drop in production.
The organization’s president, Vladimir Antonov, noted that passenger airlines are already spending more than a third of their budgets on fuel.
In general aviation, this share is even higher, which is catastrophically damaging the transportation industry, reducing demand for services, and decreasing passenger traffic.
The situation is particularly acute with aviation gasoline, as its shortage is forcing market participants to use low-quality automotive fuel.
Dmitry Toropov, CEO of LightAir, confirmed that the availability of aviation gasoline at major airports remains extremely low.
Currently, it is available only in Ufa and Volgograd, while at other airports, operators are forced to transport fuel with them in special containers.
Vadim Tsyganash, Executive Director of the Aviation Workers’ Association, added that the situation is rapidly approaching a critical point and will become acute within a month.
At the same time, Sergey Detinyshev, Chairman of the Board of the Association of Small Aviation Enterprises, warned that government intervention will not solve the problem of fixed supply volumes.
He emphasized: “Prices may be artificially kept low, but there will be no fuel.”
Major passenger carriers also report that, since early June, aircraft have stopped receiving additional fuel in case of changes in flight conditions.
The Russian government has already banned the export of jet fuel until November 30, in an effort to stabilize the domestic market following the introduction of a similar ban on the export of automotive gasoline.
However, in June, as a result of successful attacks by Ukrainian drones, total gasoline production in Russia fell by 25% compared to last year.
Oil refining in central Russia has virtually ground to a halt following airstrikes on major refineries in Kirishi, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Ryazan, and Yaroslavl.
The fuel crisis in Russia is worsening: gasoline is disappearing from gas stations and lines are growing
Russia has allowed the use of lower-quality gasoline due to the fuel crisis
