Russia imposes refueling restrictions at airports amid fuel shortages
Photo: New problems have been added to the sanctions-related issues of Russian air travel (Getty Images)
The fuel crisis in Russia has spread to aviation. Several major airports have introduced restrictions on refueling aircraft — a consequence of the record series of strikes on oil refineries, according to Russian media.
Where restrictions have been introduced
Notifications to pilots about limits on jet fuel have been issued by the airports of Makhachkala, Mineralnye Vody, Krasnodar, Astrakhan, and Nizhny Novgorod. Refueling is allowed only in the amount necessary for a specific flight. For example, Makhachkala has set a limit of 8 tons for flights to Dubai, and 3.5 tons for flights to Minsk.
As early as late May, airlines received letters from suppliers stating that it was impossible to refuel aircraft under existing contracts at the airports in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Ufa, and several other cities.
Prices hit records
Exchange sales of jet fuel have virtually stopped: since May 4, not a single transaction for aviation fuel has been completed on the St. Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange. Wholesale market prices have soared to a record 113,000 rubles per ton — 52% higher than at the beginning of March.
"On June 1, only three tank cars were sold across the entire country," one source described the trading situation to Kommersant.
Cause and government reaction
The problems began after a record series of strikes on refineries: in May, 16 plants were hit, and oil refining in central Russia has virtually stopped.
Following an emergency meeting at the Ministry of Energy, the government banned the export of jet fuel from June 1 to November 30 in order to stabilize the domestic market.
A few days ago, in the Krasnodar Territory, fuel sales at gas stations were temporarily suspended due to increased demand and supply disruptions. The fuel crisis from the south has already spread to Siberia, with gasoline limits introduced 5,000 kilometers away from Ukraine.
The systemic cause is pressure on the oil industry through strikes at refineries and logistics hubs: Russia is already forced to redirect crude from exports to the domestic market, but this is proving insufficient.
