Frankfurt Airport: Lufthansa reacts due to possible kerosene shortages

Numerous federal states are heading towards the autumn holidays – or are already in the middle of it. This also means that a higher volume of travel can be expected at German airports. During this phase, news comes from Frankfurt am Main that there could be restrictions on the supply of kerosene at the airport there.

Lufthansa says it has taken precautionary measures to maintain flight operations. This includes aircraft on selected routes taking on additional fuel before departure to Frankfurt. Flight cancellations are therefore not currently expected, as the company announced upon request.

According to Lufthansa, the background to the tense supply situation is, among other things, a reduced capacity of the pipeline connection. According to information from the “Bild” newspaper, the low level of the Rhine is also mentioned as a possible burden on the supply. Tankers could only sail the river with limited loads, it was said.

The Frankfurt airport operator Fraport announced that regular maintenance was currently taking place on a pipeline that also supplies the airport with kerosene. A bottleneck due to this routine maintenance is not expected due to other supply routes and large tank storage options. “The operability of the airport is therefore not affected,” says Fraport.

Tons of extra fuel on board

According to "Bild", Lufthansa has instructed its pilots to fill up with more kerosene on certain flights than is required for the respective route. The so-called tankering is intended to reduce the need for additional fuel in Frankfurt. Short- and medium-haul flights are primarily affected, but increasingly long-haul flights are also affected.

According to “Bild” information, the specifications for aircraft in the Airbus A320 family stipulate an upper limit of eight tons of additional fuel. When planning the flight, care should be taken to ensure that the additional weight does not result in any restrictions on the transport of passengers or freight.

Lufthansa emphasized that it wanted to ensure reliable flight operations with the measures it had taken. According to the “Bild” newspaper, the measures will apply until further notice and will be adapted to the development of the situation.