A shortage of jet fuel in Japan, which has affected the country’s domestic airports, has now spread to one of its largest international gateways.
Narita Airport in Chiba Prefecture said the fuel crisis affected the operations of six Asian airlines and plans to currently operate some 57 flights per week. The names of the six airlines were not mentioned.
“We need to increase the number of fuel suppliers and have requested the government and distributors to also receive fuel directly from abroad,” said Akihiko Tamura, the CEO of Narita International Airport.
Narita Airport has “asked domestic distributors to ensure stable supply,” but at the moment “they have not been able to increase volumes sufficiently,” Tamura added.
A boom in international travel is boosting global jet fuel consumption. Flights from Asia are expected to rise 23% in 2024 compared to last year, according to BloombergNEF. Japan is seeing a sharp increase in inbound travel due to a weak yen, and the government aims to attract around 60 million international tourists annually by 2030.
The country’s largest oil refiner, Eneos Holdings, has been fielding calls from carriers and is working with the government to alleviate the problem. Factors such as labor shortages at airports and logistics bottlenecks all contribute to fuel not reaching destinations, Eneos said.
About 3.3 million people traveled through Narita Airport in May, a 27% increase from the same period last year, the airport reported Thursday.
