Frankfurt airport kerosene shortage: Lufthansa has pilots tank extra fuel abroad
According to Bild, Lufthansa has told pilots to carry more fuel than their routes need, so aircraft need less refuelling at Frankfurt. Lufthansa cites reduced pipeline capacity, and a low Rhine water level is also named as a strain on supply.
What Lufthansa is doing
Lufthansa has told pilots to take on more fuel than a given route requires, so that aircraft need little or no refuelling when they land at Frankfurt. According to Bild, the instruction reached flight crews in internal communications and applies first to short- and medium-haul routes, with long-haul flights increasingly included. For Airbus A320-family aircraft, the rules set a ceiling of eight tonnes of additional kerosene. Flight planners are asked to ensure that the extra weight does not cut into the passenger or cargo load. Focus describes the practice as fuelling at departure airports with more kerosene than the flight needs, a method known as tankering. Watson reports that the order covers pilots at Lufthansa and at other airlines.
Why supply is tight
Lufthansa itself points to reduced capacity on the pipeline connection that feeds Frankfurt with fuel. Bild names a low Rhine water level as a possible additional strain, because tankers can only travel the river with limited loads. N-tv, citing Bild, reports that tankers have barely got through for months and, when they do, carry little cargo. Watson describes the situation as so precarious that the tankering order was necessary. Focus and N-tv both state that the reasons behind the pipeline restrictions remain unclear. The sources give no figure for remaining kerosene stocks at Frankfurt.
What it means for flights
Lufthansa calls the steps precautionary and says flight cancellations are not currently expected. Watson reports that passengers do not have to expect restrictions for now. The measures are said to apply until further notice, with the situation monitored continuously and the rules adjusted as conditions change. Frankfurt remains open as an alternate airport for airlines despite the shortage. Lufthansa said it aims to keep flight operations reliable through these measures.
Open questions
The reports do not say how long the pipeline restriction will last. They also give no figures for how many flights have been affected so far or how much tankering has been carried out. The detailed pilot instructions and the eight-tonne ceiling come from Bild's reporting, while Lufthansa's own statements cover the precautionary measures and the pipeline limit. The sources do not say whether the Rhine water level is expected to change in the coming weeks.