THE airlines arriving at London-Heathrow are requested to carry as many additional kerosene as possible in the tanks of their planes due to supply problems.
Thanks to this excess fuel, the planes can then take off again without drawing too much on the fuel reserves of London-Heathrow, the first airport in the United Kingdom, according to an advisory covering nine days from July 23 to July 31, the daily reported. The Guardian.
London-Heathrow declined to comment on the cause of the jet fuel supply problem. According The Guardian, fuel arrives at West London Airport via underground pipelines and is then delivered to one of two facilities. Part of the fuel is also delivered by truck. The London-Heathrow manager has no day-to-day control over the fuel supply, which is managed by Heathrow Hydrant Operating Company and Heathrow Airport Fuel Company, both of which are owned by oil company consortia.
The carriage of excess fuel is controversial because this practice increases the weight of the aircraft considerably. This extra weight increases the amount of fuel burned during a flight, and therefore its carbon footprint. Yet despite the added costs and carbon emissions, it can be financially attractive to airlines if fuel is cheaper at one airport than at another. In Europe, this type of refueling is the source of 900,000 tonnes of carbon emissions per year, according to a Eurocontrol study dated 2019.
But jet fuel shortage or not,”the airport has enough fuel and passengers can rest assured that their flights will continue to operate as normal“, said a spokesperson for London-Heathrow at The Guardian.
