SLC airport “keeping an eye on” jet fuel shortages

Photo: Salt Lake City International Airport

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Smaller airports in the western U.S. are dealing face-on with jet fuel shortages, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

“Many carriers during the pandemic added flights to destinations that became popular among travelers looking to avoid congested cities,” writes Alison Sider in the Journal. “But getting enough fuel to some of those airports has grown harder in recent weeks due to a dearth of truck drivers and insufficient space on pipelines, airline officials have said.”

The other variable in play is the high demand for jet fuel from planes that fight wildfires by dropping water and retardant.

Larger airports, like Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC), have more storage space and better connections to pipeline infrastructure.

“It’s something we’re keeping an eye on,” said Nancy Volmer, Communications and Marketing Director for SLC. “If we start being impacted by it I will be concerned with that, though right now, it doesn’t seem to be an issue here.”

Per CNBC, an American Airlines Group Inc. memo to pilots this week said “every gallon of jet fuel saved is helpful.” The company also said it might have to add stops to specific flights because of delivery delays.

Last week, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon signed an executive order allowing truck drivers to work longer hours so they can deliver fuel for wildfire aircraft.

The worst situation is in Reno, Nevada. The Journal says fuel storage there is “precariously low” which is partly because of supply and demand between now and during the pandemic. Airlines curbed their use of fuel last year due to COVID-19. “Because of the way space on the pipeline is awarded—based on shipments in the previous 12 months—airlines say they are now struggling to get enough capacity.”