Keys to understanding the situation of jet fuel in Colombia

What is happening with the shortage of jet fuel in Colombia?

The fuel situation in the Colombian aeronautical industry has taken on relevance after the recent power outage in the Cartagena refinery, which has severely affected the supply of jet fuel.

Precisely on Sunday, August 25, 2024, several official statements were issued confirming concern about the shortage of Jet A1, Ecopetrol’s specialized aviation fuel.

The levels of this fuel began to drop alarmingly in important airports in the country: Leticia, Montería and Bucaramanga. In addition, the airport El Dorado in Bogotá being the main area affected.

Latam Airlines expressed its concern in a statement addressed to Colombian Transport Minister María Constanza García Alicastro, warning of the serious implications of the fuel shortage at the country’s airports.

“We are concerned about a fuel shortage that varies depending on each airport and each marketer. As you might expect, aviation fuel is used every day. day in operation with total efficiency criteria. Only the fuel that is necessary and that complies with regulations and air safety criteria is used. (…)”.

In addition, this statement highlights the priority of protecting air service users, which is vital for connecting regions, moving essential cargo and promoting tourism. However, it clarifies that, Without aviation fuel, the operation is impossible.

In the letter, the airline suggests redistributing fuel within the country to supply the busiest airports. If these measures are not implemented, requests the aeronautical authorities to take action necessary to ensure an equitable distribution of available fuel and minimize the impact on users.

Reactions to the crisis:

In the face of the jet fuel crisis, President Gustavo Petro took to his social media to speak out and confirm: “There is no shortage of jet fuel. “There is an irregular activity that is already under investigation,” said the president, stressing that the supply of aviation fuel in the country is guaranteed.

To support his claim, Petro released a press release from Ecopetrol highlighting the recovery of the company’s operating units. Cartagena refinerywhich had been affected by a recent power failure.

For its part, the Civil Aeronautics has allowed airlines to reschedule, suspend or cancel flights betweenl August 28th and September 4th.

This measure seeks to make airline operations more flexible based on the availability of aircraft fuel. Airlines must notify the slot coordinator (time period allocated to an airline to carry out take-off or landing operations) about any changes to your flights at least 24 hours in advance.

Meanwhile, airlines must notify any cancellation or change within the same period of time, and offer compensation if necessary.

In addition, it was learned that last August 21, Terpel informed through social networks on the impact on the production of Jet A1 aviation fuel due to problems at the Cartagena refinery. The statement highlighted: “The Cartagena refinery is not producing enough fuel, preventing the normalization of operations.”

In short, he stressed that due to the lack of certainty in the supply of Jet A1, delivery will be reduced to 85% of what was requested for August in all airports in the country, without resolving the supply restriction.

Finally, it was learned that Terpel activated plans contingency to maintain servicebut there is no certainty about the restoration of supply.

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Ecopetrol responds to fuel supply suspension alert:

In view of the possible suspension of the supply of aircraft fuel, the company announced the recovery of production and stability of the 35 operating units of the Cartagena Refinery.

Ecopetrol assured that it has activated a work plan to guarantee the supply of fuels, including gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.

To ensure availability in the coming months, Ecopetrol will import 100,000 barrels of aviation fuel, which will arrive in the country next weekend. This will allow for a 95% fulfillment of the jet supply by the end of August.

Over the weekend, Ecopetrol delivered to wholesale distributors 64,100 barrels of gasoline108,500 barrels of diesel and 27,000 barrels of jet. Under normal conditions, the Cartagena Refinery produces 99,000 barrels of diesel, 38,000 barrels of gasoline, 13,000 barrels of jet, among other products, daily.

What is the reality behind the fuel crisis?

Many link the shortage of Jet A1 fuel at Colombian airports to the policies of the Gustavo Petro’s government to promote clean energy and reduce dependence on oil.

However, the crisis has its origins in a failure at Ecopetrol’s Cartagena refinery, which on August 16 resulted in an 8% reduction in fuel deliveries for the month, a figure that was later adjusted to 5%. According to Noticias Caracol, the power failure at the refinery, which halted operations for four days, is the main cause of the crisis at the country’s air terminals.