Europe weighs US Jet A fuel backup as jet fuel prices surge
Jet fuel prices have jumped by half since the war began, pushing Brussels to consider US Jet A as a backup for Europe’s strained aviation supply.
Europe’s aviation fuel system is being pushed toward a wartime-style backup plan as jet fuel prices have climbed by half since the war began and officials in Brussels begin weighing whether US-produced Jet A could help if Jet A-1 supplies tighten further. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued a Safety Information Bulletin on May 8, 2026, to guide airlines and fuel handlers on the safe use of Jet A in a Jet A-1 environment, a signal that a technical fuel question has become a strategic one.
The distinction matters because Europe normally uses Jet A-1, while the United States uses Jet A. The fuels are almost identical, but Jet A has a higher maximum freezing point, which means any broader switch would require careful safety and logistics handling across airports, storage tanks and aircraft turnaround systems. EASA said Jet A is already used in North America, including on flights departing for Europe, but aviation stakeholders say that does not make it a simple substitute in a market built around different specifications.
The pressure on Europe intensified after the Middle East conflict and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupted a key aviation-fuel route. Societe Generale has estimated that Europe consumes about 1.6 million barrels of jet fuel a day and produces roughly 1.1 million barrels domestically, leaving about 500,000 barrels to be covered by imports. Roughly three-quarters of those imports traditionally came from the Middle East, while S&P Global Commodities at Sea said about half of all European jet fuel imports in 2025 came from that region. Argus said Europe is replenishing only about half of its lost supply, and traders are now chasing cargoes from the United States, Nigeria and elsewhere.
That scramble is already changing trade flows. US jet fuel exports to Europe were projected to exceed 500,000 tonnes in April, and global US exports hit record levels in early April as Europe became the largest overseas buyer. Aviation fuel traders say Europe is also competing with Asia-Pacific buyers for limited supply, raising the risk that the market shortage becomes an airline problem, not just a refinery one.
The consequences could show up quickly in flight schedules and fares. ACI Europe has warned that a shortage could hit within three weeks and could trigger harsh economic damage, with air travel generating about 851 billion euros in GDP and supporting 14 million jobs across the continent. France is already preparing financial aid for airlines hit by higher fuel costs, and the European Commission plans a fuel observatory to track production, imports, exports and stock levels. Under EU rules, countries must hold oil stocks equal to 90 days of net imports and 61 days of domestic consumption, but those rules do not separate jet fuel from other products, leaving Brussels to improvise while the summer travel season draws closer.
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