LATAM Airlines Colombia is dealing with a severe aviation fuel shortage that has disrupted operations in Leticia (LET), Montería (MTR), Palonegro (BGA), and El Dorado (BOG) airports.
The fuel supply crisis began on August 16, 2024, after a power outage at Cartagena Refinery, the country’s main oil refinery. Ecopetrol, the largest and primary petroleum company in Colombia, reported an electrical failure, forecasting it would result in an 8% deficit in Jet A1 deliveries across the country. On August 24, 2024, the company updated that the deficit would be reduced to 5%.
It significantly reduced the availability of Jet A1 aviation fuel across the country, and it led LET, MTR, and BGA airports to run out of fuel, with BOG airport supply reaching a critical level. The shortage crisis was confirmed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
On August 26, 2024, Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro commented on X that the fuel supply crisis was an “irregular activity that is already under investigation.”
LATAM Airlines Colombia, in collaboration with local government institutions and Ecopetrol, addressed the situation by refueling outside Colombia for international flights, adjusting its operations, and evaluating consumption for each airport in the country.
“It is essential to evaluate structural measures that offer better tools to address contingencies like this, where our passengers would be the most affected,” Santiago Álvarez, CEO of LATAM Airlines Colombia, commented to local media.
The Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) suggested ensuring clear fuel allocation, regulating imports of Jet A fuel and encouraging suppliers to cooperate to avoid fuel shortages.
Ecopetrol explained that to control the situation it imported 100,000 barrels of Jet A1 fuel, which will arrive in the country between August 31, 2024, and September 2, 2024.