Transport Secretary: Summer holidays will not be disrupted by jet fuel shortages

Summer holiday plans will not face major disruption because of jet fuel shortages caused by the Iran war, the UK Government’s Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has insisted.

The Cabinet Minister said more fuel has been imported from America while refineries have upped their production.

The Government has also introduced a temporary rule change allowing airlines to group passengers from different flights together on to fewer planes as part of plans to save fuel.

It comes amid warnings of a jet fuel shortage ahead of the peak holiday season if the Strait of Hormuz does not reopen.

Supplies from the Middle East have been disrupted since the start of the war because of Iran’s effective closure of the critical international shipping route.

Asked if people jetting off abroad are likely to face problems this summer, Ms Alexander told Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: “I’ve spent every week of the last two months in close contact with airlines and airports.

“On Thursday of this week, airlines told me very clearly that they have good visibility over the next six to eight weeks of jet fuel supply.

“There is no current disruption to jet fuel supplies.

“We are, for example, importing more jet fuel from America.

“We have asked the refineries in the UK to maximise their production.

“We’ve got four refineries here, refineries in West Africa are also producing more.”

She continued: “The last thing I want is for people to turn up at a departure gate and have last minute cancellations.

“I am confident, sat here today on the basis of the information that I have available to me, that the majority of people who are traveling this summer will have a similar experience to that which they had last year.”

The Government’s airline rule change could see passengers moved from the service they originally booked to a similar one to reduce the amount of wasted fuel from flying planes that have not sold out and might have been cancelled.

It has been criticised by consumer group Which? who said rules should not be “bent in favour of airlines”.

Shadow transport secretary Richard Holden said families could find themselves “herded on to a different plane, at a time of the airline’s choosing”.

“The honest message is that Britain is exposed to fuel supply risks that a properly energy-secure country would not face,” he added.

Green Party leader Zack Polanski has called for private jets to be grounded to save fuel.

“While ordinary people pay the price, the super rich are simply getting in their private jets at will – wasting huge amounts of jet fuel on unnecessary trips,” he said.