Lufthansa tells jets to carry extra fuel as Frankfurt, Zurich face supply crunch

Lufthansa is telling crews on selected flights to Frankfurt to take on extra fuel before departure as pipeline maintenance reduces supply capacity at its main hub. Separately, Switzerland has authorized withdrawals from jet fuel reserves to prevent a shortage at Zurich Airport, which is facing supply constraints.

Lufthansa said on October 15, 2026, that the additional fueling was a precaution and that it did not expect flight cancellations.

Carrying extra fuel into Frankfurt allows aircraft to take on less there before their next flight. Lufthansa said the measures were already helping and that it expected to be able to end them in the near future, German broadcaster Tagesschau reported.

Frankfurt Airport operator Fraport said the pipeline maintenance was routine and had been planned for some time. It said alternative supply routes and substantial storage capacity meant it did not expect a supply bottleneck.

“The airport’s operational capability is therefore not affected,” Fraport said, according to Reuters.

The practice of carrying additional fuel from another airport is known as tankering. Lufthansa’s warning mainly affected short-haul flights, although some long-haul services were also impacted.

In Switzerland, the government warned on October 15 that delayed and canceled rail deliveries had left Zurich Airport facing a shortage of jet fuel.

Authorities authorized the withdrawal of up to 30,000 cubic meters, or 30 million liters, from mandatory reserves between October 15 and November 1. That represents about 6.5% of Switzerland’s available mandatory jet fuel reserves.

The Swiss government said freight disruptions, particularly on rail routes from Germany, were preventing fuel deliveries from arriving on time.

Low water levels on the Rhine have added to the problem by forcing other goods off the river and onto an already heavily used rail network. Missed jet fuel deliveries could not be made up quickly enough, the government said.

Without access to the reserves, the stocks available at Zurich Airport would be insufficient to cover the missing deliveries.The post Lufthansa tells jets to carry extra fuel as Frankfurt, Zurich face supply crunch appeared first on AeroTime.

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