Look, I’m no expert. I assumed fuel was one of those things, like oxygen or gravity, that the airline just… manages. You don’t walk into a restaurant and ask the chef if he’s got enough gas for the grill, do you? Well, now EasyJet is basically asking you to do that, but for a plane. The official line is that they want passengers to “remain vigilant” about any potential disruption to jet fuel availability across European airports this summer.
This is like your Uber driver asking you to keep an eye out for petrol stations on the way to the airport. It’s their job! But no, the summer of 2026 is now shaping up to be the summer where we all become amateur aviation fuel logisticians. I for one am not ready for that level of responsibility.
The New Pre-Flight Checklist
Forget your passport. Forget your boarding pass. The new essential item is a cryptocurrency wallet for bribing air-traffic controllers with snacks. But seriously, what does “remain alert” even mean? Are we supposed to sniff the air for kerosene? Are we meant to carry a jerry can in our carry-on? “Sorry, hand luggage only, sir. That’s 100ml of Jet A-1 max.”
The advice is genuinely because of a perfect storm: the war in Ukraine, refinery maintenance, and the fact that every single person in Britain decided to go on holiday at exactly the same moment. This has led to what the industry calls “tight supply.” In non-industry speak, that means there’s a chance your plane might land, but it might take a while to get the go-go juice to take off again. Surprising fact: A single A320 uses about 6,000 litres of fuel per hour. That’s like 240 full bathtubs of kerosene every sixty minutes. Imagine filling that many tubs while your pilot taps his watch.
EasyJet 'stranded' and 'fuel shortage' fears as airline responds to
