Colombia: while Petro says there are no fuel shortages, Aerocivil acknowledges fuel supply problems

The Fuel Shortage Crisis in Colombia has taken a new (and contradictory) turn: through a post on X, Colombian President Gustavo Petro claimed that «there is no shortage of aviation fuel,» almost simultaneously as Aerocivil sent information to airlines advising them to adjust their operations «to the availability of their supply chain» to avoid affecting their slot usage percentage under the «Use It or Lose It» system.

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The Colombian president stated on X that rather than a shortage, there is «an irregular activity that is already under investigation,» and shared a statement from Ecopetrol in which the company asserts that it «guarantees the supply of aviation fuel.»

«Ecopetrol reassures the country of the availability of fuels and guarantees their supply, including that required for air transport, following the recovery of production and stabilization of the 35 operational units at the Cartagena Refinery, once the contingency caused by a power failure 10 days ago was resolved, and after the sequential restart of these processing units on August 18,» the company said in the statement.

There is no shortage of aviation fuel. What exists is an irregular activity that is already under investigation. pic.twitter.com/3IW49AhQzQ

— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) August 25, 2024

The company also stated that it «activated a work plan to ensure the fuel supply to all market segments and secure the availability of products like gasoline, diesel, and aviation jet fuel,» and that it decided to import 100,000 barrels of fuel, expected to arrive in the country next weekend.»

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With this import, the oil company projects that by the end of August, it will achieve «a compliance rate of 95% of the legally established minimum for jet fuel supply, including production from the Cartagena and Barrancabermeja refineries.»

Aerocivil Instructs Airlines to Adjust Operations

Paradoxically, the president’s remarks are contradicted by those of the Civil Aviation Authority (Aerocivil), which, through an Informative Circular, reminded commercial public transport service companies that they «may adhere to section 6.8 of Appendix A of RAC 3 of the Colombian Aeronautical Regulations (RAC),» regarding the justified non-use of slots due to the fuel supply situation.

This section outlines the conditions under which a company may not use an assigned slot for justified reasons without negatively impacting its slot usage percentage (80%) under the «Use It or Lose It» system.«

«Companies may adjust and/or adapt their operations according to the availability of their aviation fuel supply chain, by rescheduling, suspending, or canceling some of their operations from 00:00 UTC on Wednesday, August 28, until 23:59 UTC on Wednesday, September 4, 2024, in accordance with the cited regulation, with prior and timely notification to passengers and the adoption of any applicable compensation or protection measures.»

LATAM Colombia, ALTA, and IATA have expressed their concern about the fuel situation in the country, calling for the issue to be treated as a «Matter of State,» ensuring the supply to avoid disrupting scheduled operations.