Could jet fuel shortage cause flight cancellations? What to know in SC

U.S. airports are facing further challenges as jet fuel shortages stemming from the Iran-U.S. conflict emerge.

Airports Council International Europe, a trade group for airfield operators, warned that the global oil shortage resulting from the war in Iran could begin to affect flight operations within weeks.

“(A) systemic jet fuel shortage is set to become a reality for the EU,” a letter from the organization to the EU’s Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism said, according to a report from CNBC. The missive further warned that it’s likely to impact summer travel in Europe.

USA TODAY reported that ticket prices for flights at most U.S. airlines haven’t yet been affected as of mid-April. However, the report also noted that low supply is already driving up fuel costs, prompting some airlines to raise fees such as those for checked bags.

U.S. Energy Information Administration

Here’s what to know in South Carolina with the summer travel season looming.

Is there a jet fuel shortage in the U.S.?

Giacomo Santangelo, a senior lecturer of economics at Fordham University, told USA TODAY for an April 16 article, “We are in a global jet fuel shortage right now.”

He noted that airlines like SAS and Air New Zealand are already cancelling flights, and that U.S.-based United Airlines suggested it could trim as much as 5% of its schedule in the third quarter if fuel prices don’t come down and the supply isn’t boosted.

Will flights be cancelled due to the fuel shortage? Which flights will be cancelled?

Diane Merians Penaloza, a lecturer at the City University of New York School of Professional Studies, previously told USA TODAY that if the Strait of Hormuz remained closed for 12-18 months, up to 40% fewer airplane seats could be available globally.

While airlines have historically prioritized domestic flights with multiple daily departures for cancellations rather than cutting long-haul flights, experts say there is no guarantee the same pattern will hold during the current crisis.

How many passengers travel through Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport?

For the first time since opening in 1962, the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport exceeded 3 million passengers in a single year, according to a Greenville News article in February, 2026.

That’s the early estimate of 2025 numbers by airport officials, said GSP communications manager Tiffany Cherry.

Final passenger totals are still being finalized, but Cherry said that “overall activity is up about 5.6 percent compared to 2024, and we expect continued growth of roughly 4 to 5 percent in 2026.”

Reporter Baker Maultsby contributed to this article.

Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Is there a jet fuel shortage? Will flights be cancelled in SC?