European airports will run out of jet fuel in approximately three weeks if the Strait of Hormuz does not fully reopen, the trade body representing the continent’s airports has warned.
The stark assessment highlights the global downstream consequences of the ongoing Middle East conflict, which has severely disrupted oil transit through the world’s most critical shipping chokepoint. Despite a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran, the strait remains under controlled reopening rather than full commercial access.
If European airlines are forced to cancel or reduce services due to fuel shortages, the impact would ripple across global aviation networks — including routes serving Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka tourism at risk
European tourists represent a significant share of Sri Lanka’s visitor arrivals. Any reduction in European flight capacity would compound the decline already recorded in March and early April, when arrivals fell 22 percent due to Middle East-driven travel disruption.
Sri Lanka’s tourism sector had been on a recovery trajectory after crossing 750,000 arrivals in 2026, but the energy crisis has introduced fresh headwinds.
The warning also underscores why British Airways and other European carriers have already restructured Middle East routes — a trend that would accelerate if jet fuel stocks run critically low.
