Edinburgh and Glasgow Airport flight disruption triggered by fuel tanker driver shortage
Airlines in Scotland advised to carry extra fuel ‘due to supply issues’
Flights were disrupted at Scotland’s two busiest airports after fuel supplies to some airlines were interrupted by a shortage of tanker drivers.
Edinburgh Airport said some ten flights were delayed on Sunday with an unspecified number running late at Glasgow Airport.
It came as Edinburgh Airport issued a Notam (Notice to Aviation) advising airlines to “maximise inbound tankering [carrying extra fuel] due to fuel supply issues resulting in reduced capacity”.
Easyjet, Scotland’s biggest airline, said three of its Glasgow-bound flights made unscheduled stops en route to refuel.
A spokesperson said: “Due to the temporary fuel delivery issue which arose due to driver sickness at one of the fuel suppliers at Glasgow Airport, three flights stopped en route to Glasgow to take on additional fuel as a precaution.
“More supplies have been delivered to the airport now and so our programme is operating normally and we do not expect that to change.
“At Edinburgh Airport, we have had no issues.”
Emirates and Tui were among other airlines reported to have refuelled Scottish flights en route but they have yet to confirm that.
EET Fuels, whose tankers supply the airports from Stanlow in Cheshire, apologised to affected passengers and said the problem had been resolved.
The union Unite, which represents tanker drivers, claimed that tankers from Grangemouth had been prevented from supplying the airports because the planned delivery from Stanlow was given priority as its fuel was significantly cheaper.
Aircraft fuel is imported via Grangemouth where its production ceased last year.
Pentland Aviation, which manages fuel stocks at Edinburgh Airport, declined to discuss the supply problem.
An Edinburgh Airport spokesperson said ”no issue” remained on Monday, with flights operating normally.
A spokesperson for Glasgow Airport said: “A short‑term staffing issue has affected one of the fuel suppliers used by airlines at the airport, with work underway to return stock levels to normal.”
A spokesperson for EET Fuels said: “We would like to assure travellers that the short-term fuel logistics issues that affected some airlines at Edinburgh and Glasgow airports have been resolved.
“Our fuel production and availability are normal and there are no shortages.
“We would like to apologise to our airline customers and any passenger whose journey was delayed because of these issues.”
A spokesperson for Ryanair, Edinburgh’s biggest airline, said: “No disruption our side - our fuel suppliers at these airports [Edinburgh and Glasgow] have supply.”
Professor John Underhill, director for energy transition at Aberdeen University, said: “The closure of Grangemouth means airports like Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Newcastle are dependent on tanker deliveries from the remaining UK refineries at Stanlow, Humber, Fawley and Pembroke.
“We are now increasingly reliant on imports from the United States, which has ramped up its production by 300,000 barrels a day to achieve a peak production of 2 million barrels a day to serve Europe and UK demand.
“There's still a shortfall though and that has driven the controversial decision to permit imports of Russian oil refined in India to replace jet fuel supplies lost from Kuwait and United Arab Emirates.”
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