Fuel crisis hits Russia: 26 airports restrict plane refueling
Photo: An aircraft is refueled at a Russian airport (Getty Images)
Russia’s airports are imposing widespread restrictions on aircraft refueling. The fuel crisis has affected airports across the country, The Moscow Times reports.
Russia restricts aircraft refueling
Restrictions have been introduced at 26 airports, from Kaliningrad to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, according to data from the aeronautical information system analyzed by Verstka.
The first limits were introduced in June, while a second wave came in September. Depending on the airport, they will remain in effect for between one and nearly seven months.
For example, at Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg, aircraft can be refueled through March 2027 only according to their flight plan, with no additional fuel available. The same refueling procedure has been introduced at Khrabrovo Airport in Kaliningrad through December.
At 15 of the 26 airports, the restrictions apply only to foreign airlines. They may refuel for a single flight.
Such limits are in effect at airports in:
- Kazan,
- Ufa,
- Perm,
- Yekaterinburg,
- Chelyabinsk,
- Tyumen,
- Irkutsk,
- Vladivostok,
- Khabarovsk,
- Yakutsk, and others.
The situation is worst in southern Russia, where some airports have been closed because of the war. Of the six operating airports in the region, refueling restrictions for all carriers have been introduced in:
- Sochi,
- Volgograd,
- Astrakhan.
In Krasnodar, the restrictions apply only to foreign airlines.
Fuel crisis in Russia
The fuel crisis erupted in Russia following Ukrainian drone strikes on oil refineries.
Since the beginning of the year, Ukrainian Armed Forces have struck Russian oil refineries more than 70 times, knocking some of the country’s largest facilities offline. As a result, oil refining fell to its lowest level since 2002.
The Russian government has banned jet fuel exports through November 30. However, this has failed to improve the critical situation. Experts have forecast that jet fuel prices will continue to rise until refinery repairs are completed.
Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted that the authorities had been unprepared for a series of Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure. The fuel crisis in Russia has intensified.
In addition, Russia's gasoline production fell to about 70% of domestic consumption at the end of August. Ukrainian drones carried out further strikes on Russian refineries.
It was also reported that huge lines for fuel had formed at gas stations in Russia’s Yelets district in the Lipetsk region. Many gas stations had no fuel at all.
