Russia has experienced a shortage of aviation fuel.

Following the gasoline shortage in Russia, problems are also being observed in the aviation fuel market. A number of major airports have introduced restrictions on refueling aircraft with aviation kerosene. The Moscow Times reports this.

 

According to the Telegram channel "Aviasionnaya antresol", airports in Makhachkala, Mineralnye Vody, Krasnodar, Astrakhan, and Nizhny Novgorod have announced fuel limits in NOTAM notices issued to pilots. Aircraft are now being supplied with only the amount of aviation kerosene necessary to carry out the flight.

 

Specifically, at Makhachkala airport, a fuel limit of 8 tons has been set for the Dubai route, 3.5 tons for Minsk, and 4 tons for the Tashkent flight. Refueling charter flights is being carried out based on separate agreements.

 

Experts link the problem to the large-scale attacks on oil refineries in Russia in May. According to data, 16 refineries were hit during one month, resulting in a sharp decline in oil refining volumes in the central regions of the country.

 

Sources for the "Kommersant" publication report that at the end of May, a number of airlines were warned that it was impossible to refuel aircraft under existing contracts at airports in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Ufa, and others.

 

According to data from the St. Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange, trading in aviation kerosene has almost completely stopped since May 4th. At the same time, the price of fuel on the wholesale market has risen to a record 113,000 rubles per ton, becoming 52% more expensive compared to the beginning of March.

 

Against this backdrop, the Russian government banned the export of aviation kerosene from June 1st to November 30th. Officials explained this measure by the need to maintain stability in the domestic market.

 

According to analysts, the export ban will prevent aviation fuel from leaving the domestic market and help mitigate a potential shortage. However, it is difficult to accurately assess the volume of aviation kerosene production in the country, as Russia has classified statistical data on petroleum product production starting from 2024. 

 

According to previously available public data, Russia produced approximately 11 million tons of aviation kerosene per year.