It's easier to idle: the opposition in the EU demands to allow the import of jet fuel from Russia

The opposition in Germany and Greece has asked their governments to arrange supplies of Russian fuel for aviation, the parliaments of these countries told Izvestia. The German authorities have already refused to ease sanctions against Russia. Earlier, Brussels recognized the threat of an imminent shortage of jet fuel due to the conflict in the Middle East, and companies are massively canceling future flights. Despite this, the European Commission confirmed to Izvestia that they are committed to completely abandoning Russian supplies. According to experts, some European countries will still try to buy fuel from Russia through third countries.

The aviation fuel crisis in the EU

The parliamentary opposition party "Greek Solution" demands that the government arrange the supply of aviation fuel from the Russian Federation in order to prevent disruption of the tourist season, its leader, MP Kyriakos Velopoulos, told Izvestia.

"Any rational government would study all available suppliers, including Russia, to ensure fuel availability and price stability ahead of the tourist season. The "Greek solution" requires exactly this — a pragmatic "Greece first" energy policy that protects our tourism industry, our islands and our people," the politician said.

According to him, Greece relies heavily on air travel to get passengers to their destinations, due to the presence of numerous islands in the Aegean and Ionian Seas.

—Disruptions in the supply of aviation fuel are not just an energy problem, they are a direct threat to our GDP and the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Greeks working in the tourism, hospitality and transport sectors," Velopoulos said.

In Germany, the parliamentary opposition also called on the authorities to ease sanctions against Russia in order to ensure the supply of resources and prevent mass flight cancellations.

— However, my repeated requests to the German government to ease sanctions have recently been met with a harsh and categorically negative response. This government is ready to weaken its own economy only in order to maintain sanctions against Russia," Bundestag deputy and Alternative for Germany energy policy representative Steffen Cotre told Izvestia.

Staying at home: Airlines are sounding the alarm over rising fuel prices

SAS announced the cancellation of 1,000 flights in April

Earlier, European Commissioner for Energy Dan Jorgensen admitted that in five to six weeks there would be a real threat of a shortage of aviation fuel in the EU. The reason is that the European Union imports about 40% of these products and half of this volume comes through the Strait of Hormuz, where the risk of escalation between Iran and the United States remains. To save fuel, the German airline Lufthansa has already canceled 20,000 flights that were scheduled between May and October.

A significant part of large countries with serious potential for air transportation, both in terms of demand and the availability of large carriers, may face a real shortage of fuel by the beginning of the active summer tourist season, Egor Sergeev, senior researcher at the MGIMO Institute of International Studies at the Russian Foreign Ministry, told Izvestia.

— In particular, we are talking about Germany, France and Spain, which consume more aviation fuel than they produce. So far, there is no immediate risk of fuel shortages, but in many European countries, as the International Energy Agency warns, there are less than 20 days left of its reserves in storage," the expert emphasized.

The EU will not ease sanctions

Planes in the EU fly on aviation kerosene, which is obtained by oil refining. The main brands include Jet A and Jet A-1, but there is another option — environmentally friendly fuel SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel). The problem is that, for example, in 2024, the average price of SAF was, according to media reports, €2,000 per 1 ton versus €734 per 1 ton of conventional kerosene.

Russia used to be one of the traditional sources of jet fuel for the EU. For example, in 2021, about 5% of the jet fuel imported into the European Union came from the Russian Federation. Between 2011 and 2019, our country was one of the fastest growing suppliers, increasing exports to the EU by 620%. In particular, in 2019, Rosneft signed a contract for refueling aircraft at Berlin airport.

The production of aviation kerosene in the Russian Federation is growing — in 2024 it reached 11.6 million tons, which is 7.3% more than in 2023. According to open data, about 1 million tons are exported to the CIS countries. We are talking about ready-made jet fuel, and the importing country can also independently produce fuel from crude oil at its refineries.

After the start of the free trade, the EU leadership consistently cuts off any means of supplying jet fuel from the Russian Federation. On February 5, 2023, an embargo on the maritime supply of Russian petroleum products to the EU, including aviation kerosene, came into force. And in January of this year, Brussels banned the import of petroleum products produced from Russian oil in third countries. The EU has no plans to allow the supply of our jet fuel in the context of the energy crisis.

— The European Commission remains committed to the idea of completely abandoning Russian energy. As European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has repeatedly said, a return to the Russian energy sector would be a strategic mistake, EC spokeswoman Anna-Kaisa Itkonen told Izvestia.

However, the shortage of aviation fuel may reach a critical point, after which the EU will be forced to consider the possibility of purchases from the Russian Federation, Fernand Kartheiser, a member of the European Parliament from Luxembourg, told Izvestia.

"If foreign airlines refuse to fly to Europe, fearing that they will not be able to refuel and, consequently, fly to their next destinations, then at that moment, of course, the EU will have to turn to external suppliers and, possibly, also to Russia," Kartheiser stressed.

The option of purchasing Russian crude oil, from which jet fuel can then be made, remains for now, because the EC postponed the submission of a plan to ban the import of hydrocarbons from the Russian Federation. Earlier, Brussels announced its intention to completely stop importing oil and gas from Russia by the end of 2027.

According to Egor Sergeev, the EU is unlikely to compensate for the fuel shortage with supplies from Russia due to reputational losses and the legal complexity of lifting its sanctions. However, indirect supplies through third countries, bypassing existing restrictions, may persist, therefore, some maneuvers in this area are likely to take place.