They want to share stocks and launch EU co-operation on buying
(Image: Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
With reports that European airlines are only 5 weeks away from running on fumes and Aer Lingus cancelling 500 flights to Europe and North America, the Spanish Government has stepped in to propose a way to save the summer season.
The US-Israel attacks on Iran and the ongoing ‘energy shock’ caused by the closure of the Straits of Hormuz have seen warnings that European stocks of aviation fuel could be down to emergency supplies by the end of May. This would force the biggest wave of summer season flight cancellations ever seen, an unprecedented shutting down of routes with Governments likely to prioritise essential travel only. Some figures in the airline sector say it would be a far greater level of disruption than that caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the Spanish deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Sara Aagesen has proposed a radical solution to the fast-approaching crisis, calling on the European Union to pool resources and to embark on a shared-purchasing scheme that would allow Europe’s airlines to ring-fence increasingy scarce jet fuel stocks and future supplies.
The Spanish Energy Minister said Europe should immediately switch to ordering more supplies from countries not affected by the war in the Gulf, such as the US and Nigeria. And the combined buying power of a centralised EU body could secure the necessary stocks and ensure they are shared as fairly and effectively as possible.
Ms Aagesen said Spain had already increased output from its own refinieries by 60% and was willing to show ‘solidarity’ with other EU nations to keep planes flying through the busy summer season.
Tourism is a huge driver of Spain’s economy, worth 13% of their GDP and the main employer in many parts of the country. Spain had a record 97 million visitors in 2025 and earned €135bn in Revenue. There have so far been no confirmed cancellations from Irish airports.
But operators like Ryanair and Aer Lingus, flying out of Cork, Shannon and Dublin through the Summer season, will be keeping a very close eye on events in the Gulf over the coming days.