Source: AFP
Airlines on Monday grounded dozens of flights from Colombia, blaming dwindling fuel supplies — which industry officials and the government dispute.
National carrier Avianca, which Colombia’s aviation regulator said canceled 24 flights on Monday, said in a statement it had been informed by suppliers of a cap on kerosene deliveries “for the rest of the month”.
Avianca flights to Sao Paulo, Santiago, Mexico City and Cancun were affected, according to tracking platform FlightAware.
For its part, Latin America’s largest airline, LATAM, said it had to cancel 36 flights scheduled for Tuesday due to “restrictions in the supply of Jet A1 aircraft fuel at some airports.”
State oil company Ecopetrol said an “electrical fault” affected production at its Cartagena refinery (Reficar) between August 16 and 18.
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Ecopetrol has announced it will import 100,000 barrels of jet fuel, possibly leading to an increase in ticket prices, according to the transport ministry.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) warned on Sunday that fuel shortages will lead to flight cancellations and flights carrying fewer passengers per plane.
According to IATA, which represents more than 300 airlines, distributors have suspended the supply of fuel to 11 terminals, while for many others they have issued notices of “critical” stock levels.
Bogota International Airport, a key hub in Latin America, has enough fuel for seven days of operation. In Medellín, the country’s second-largest city, there are two days of reserves, Ecopetrol president Ricardo Roa said.
The Aerocivil airport authority, however, insisted that jet fuel stocks were “adequate”.
President Gustavo Petro, who initially denied there was a problem, later blamed the situation on fuel distributor Terpel, owned by Chilean oil company Copec, and said there would be “investigations” by market regulators.
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Terpel, for its part, blamed the problems on the Reficar refinery.
Source: AFP
