AAI Seeks Info On Fuel Stocks From International Airport Operators Amid Middle East Crisis

New Delhi/ Mumbai: State-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI) has asked all international airport operators in the country to provide details about available fuel stocks as well as estimated requirements for the next seven days amid the escalating Middle East crisis, sources said on Tuesday.

However, in a late evening statement, AAI denied that it had asked any airport operator to furnish details regarding fuel stocks or estimated fuel requirements. According to sources, the AAI communication comes against the backdrop of the escalating conflict in the Middle East involving the US, Israel and Iran that threatens to impact global oil supplies.

A source told PTI that the details have been sought as a "precautionary measure" to have a clear understanding of the fuel supply situation at the international airports. Following directions from the civil aviation ministry, sources told PTI, AAI has sought details about the current fuel supply status from all the international airport operators.

The operators have also been asked to provide details about the average daily fuel consumption, the estimated fuel requirement for the next seven days and the date of the next scheduled fuel replenishment, they said.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued late on Tuesday evening, AAI said there were some media reports that it had sought details regarding Aviation Turbine Fuel stock positions at international airports in the context of the prevailing geopolitical situation in West Asia.

Denying such reports, AAI claimed that it has not asked any airport operator formally or informally to furnish details regarding fuel stocks or estimated fuel requirements.

The airport authority also said that it functions strictly within its defined mandate. "AAI is airport operator and navigation service provider. It does not exercise oversight over fuel inventories," the statement said.

India has 33 international airports, including at Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai. In terms of international flight operations, there were 355 departures and 344 arrivals at the airports in the country on March 2, as per the data available with the ministry.

According to reports, many ships have come under attack in the Strait of Hormuz, a key conduit for global energy flows. Around one-third of the world's seaborne crude oil exports and about 20 per cent of liquefied natural gas shipments transit through the Strait of Hormuz, which is located between Oman and Iran and connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.