Bogotá, Aug 26 (EFE).- Colombia’s Civil Aeronautics Authority (Aerocivil) said Monday that “there is sufficient supply of aviation fuel” and noted that it will not accept flight cancellations by airlines citing this reason, after both Latam and Avianca announced changes or cancellations.
“Considering that, to date, it has been proven that there is sufficient supply of aviation fuel, Aerocivil is permitted to inform commercial air service operators that flight cancellations attributed to this circumstance will not be accepted,” the aeronautical authority said in a message on its X account.
This announcement comes after Latam announced the cancellation of 36 flights scheduled for this Tuesday and Avianca warned of possible changes to its flights and the closure of the purchase of new tickets due to restrictions on Jet A1 aviation fuel at some airports in Colombia.
According to Aerocivil, which Colombian President Gustavo Petro asked to investigate the flight cancellations, “today there are stocks of Jet A1 fuel in the wholesale chain and available to airports to support the operation of commercial aerospace aircraft.”
Over the weekend, the airline Latam warned of a fuel crisis for airplanes that would have left the airports of Leticia, Montería and Bucaramanga without supplies, while in Bogotá “fuel is being reduced to critical levels.”
The alert for a possible shortage of jet fuel was given due to the electrical failure that affected the Cartagena de Indias Refinery (Reficar) on August 16 and that, according to the Colombian state oil company Ecopetrol, will generate a deficit in deliveries of aviation fuel in the country of 5%.
Investigate Terpel
Petro also asked for an investigation into the distributor Terpel for not delivering fuel orders to airlines despite, according to the president, “receiving enough gasoline.”
“The quantities of gasoline have been delivered in an appropriate manner and there is no reason for a shortage in the market. Together with the superintendencies, we will investigate thoroughly why Terpel, having received sufficient gasoline, has not delivered the airlines’ orders in an appropriate manner,” the president said on the social network X.
The Colombian government insists that the supply is guaranteed and that the contingency caused by the power failure at Reficar is under control, so what happened with the airplane gasoline “has nothing to do with the Reficar blackout on August 16.”
“Reficar is operating normally. The quantities of gasoline have been delivered in an appropriate manner and there is no reason for a shortage in the market,” the president added.
.
#Aeronautics #prohibits #airlines #cancelling #flights #Colombia #alleging #fuel #shortage
2024-08-27 02:26:19
