Heathrow Fuel Rationing

[Buff-horns]

Fuel rationing on Heathrow jets

16 December 2005

Airlines at Heathrow airport have been put on fuel rationing following the devastating Hemel Hempstead oil depot explosions, it has been revealed.

The rationing, imposed by airport operator BAA, means some long-haul carriers are having to make "pit stops" to take on more fuel.

Heathrow takes about one-third of its aviation fuel from the Buncefield depot at Hemel in Hertfordshire and the inferno there has forced BAA to take emergency measures.

A London Heathrow to Sydney flight operated by Australian airline Qantas was to touch down at Stansted airport in Essex for a fuel stop.

This will add around one hour 30 minutes to the long journey to Australia via Bangkok.

South African Airways, which operates operates from Heathrow to Johannesburg and Cape Town, said it expected one of its evening flights to have to make a refuelling stop.

The airline added: "With a loss of one-third of the total fuel supplied to Heathrow, early indications suggest that the restrictions could run into a period of weeks if not months."

British Airways said it was coping with the fuel restrictions and was operating normally.

BAA said that long-haul carriers using Heathrow were being rationed to about two-thirds of their normal fuel supply. Short-haul carriers were getting about half their normal supply.

BAA gets about a quarter of its Heathrow fuel from a depot at Fawley near Southampton and a further quarter from a facility at Walton-on-Thames, Surrey. Another 15% of fuel comes by rail.

The airport company has increased the amount of fuel from these other suppliers under contingency plans developed some time ago by local airline representatives through the Airline Operators Committee.

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