Switzerland has opened its compulsory jet fuel stocks to prevent a shortage at Zurich Airport. On 15 October, the Federal Office for National Economic Supply said its delegate, Roland Pfister, had approved limited withdrawals of up to 30,000 cubic metres of jet fuel, about 30 million litres, from the mandatory reserves between 15 October and 1 November 2026.
The released volume equals 6.5% of the jet fuel currently held in Switzerland's compulsory stocks, according to the federal office.
Rail problems from Germany are the trigger
The government said cancellations and major delays in international rail freight, especially on the access routes from Germany, are disrupting jet fuel deliveries to Zurich. Low water on the Rhine has already pushed other cargo off river barges and onto the rail network, which was heavily loaded to begin with, so missed fuel deliveries cannot be made up in time.
Without additional measures, the federal office said, the stocks available at Zurich Airport would not be enough to bridge the missing deliveries. The time-limited release is meant to support the market in a targeted way and close the looming supply gap.
Swiss public broadcaster SRF reported that the release covers roughly the next two weeks and explained that low water means Rhine cargo ships either cannot load fully or cannot sail at all.
SWISS says refuelling is not affected
For now, the tight supply has not reached the airlines. A spokeswoman for SWISS told the AWP news agency that the airline was seeing no impact on the refuelling of its aircraft. "At Zurich Airport there is currently no restriction," she said, according to SRF, adding that the same applied at Geneva Airport.
The Swiss move follows similar pressure across the border. Earlier this week, Lufthansa told crews on some flights bound for Frankfurt to carry extra fuel, a practice known as tankering, as low Rhine water squeezed jet fuel supply at Germany's largest airport. German trade site aero.de reported on 16 October that SWISS is also sending aircraft to Frankfurt with fuller tanks.
A wider squeeze on refined fuel
SRF economics editor Dario Pelosi said the underlying cause of the fuel tightness lies in the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine. In his view, there is enough crude oil on the world market despite attacks around the Strait of Hormuz, but refining capacity is short. He said Gulf refineries are not yet back to full output and that Ukrainian attacks may be affecting around half of Russia's refining capacity, an important source of diesel and kerosene.
SRF also noted that the International Energy Agency has suggested its member countries release part of their reserves onto the market to avoid further shortages.
Other fuels are under less acute pressure. The federal office said Switzerland's supply of petrol, diesel and heating oil had worsened compared with the previous week but remained secure across the country.
How Switzerland's reserve system works
Switzerland requires importers to hold compulsory stocks of key goods, including mineral oil products, so that the country can bridge supply disruptions. Withdrawals have to be approved by the federal authorities and are granted for limited volumes and periods, as in this case. SRF said the country's largest tank farm, in Mellingen in the canton of Aargau, has 25 tanks and a capacity of more than 700,000 cubic metres.
For airlines and passengers, the immediate message is that flights at Zurich are operating normally and fuelling is unaffected. The reserve release is designed to keep it that way until rail deliveries recover. The authorisation runs to 1 November inclusive, and the federal office has not said whether a further release would be considered if rail and river logistics remain disrupted after that date.
The situation underlines how dependent inland airports such as Zurich and Frankfurt are on rail and Rhine barge logistics, and how quickly low river levels and rail bottlenecks can combine to tighten supply for aviation.
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