Air transport: EU says fuel shortages must be distinguished from fuel prices

Brussels –”It is important to distinguish between fuel shortages and fuel prices. These are two different things, and at present, airlines are making decisions based on what we are seeing: rising ticket prices and the cancellation of certain routes, both due to high fuel prices rather than a shortage of aviation fuel. So these are two different things,” said the Commission’s spokesperson for Energy, Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, during a press briefing. “We will adopt and publish guidelines for the sector, which will also include guidance on air passengers’ rights and on how airlines can interpret the rules currently in force. It is important to emphasise that we will not be proposing anything new, nor will we be providing new instructions, or anything of the sort. It will simply be a matter of explaining the current legislative framework as it relates to the sector,” she clarified. “The use of Type A aviation fuel will therefore be included in the guidelines, and we should be able to present them tomorrow,” she pointed out.