On 31 May 2026, both Glasgow Airport and Edinburgh Airport in Scotland were hit by a temporary fuel shortage, causing multiple delays. Contrary to initial fears, the problem seems to have been caused by staffing problems at the fuel company and not by the ongoing jet fuel crisis.
On the afternoon of Sunday, 31 May 2026, data collected by flight tracking platform Flightradar24 showed issues at the Scottish airports of Glasgow and Edinburgh. While some flights were delayed, others were prone to rerouting.
The issues seemed to be caused by a fuel shortage at both airports, prompting airlines to look for alternative options. According to Aviation News, TUI flights from Glasgow stopped at Prestwick to refuel, while The Herald reported that Edinburgh flights heading to Paris and Dubai were landing in Manchester to get fuel.
The logistics issues at Edinburgh & Glasgow airports over the weekend have now been resolved.
— Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (@energygovuk) June 1, 2026
This was due to driver logistics & is not linked to the conflict in the Middle East or wider supply issues.
To be clear, UK airlines are not currently seeing any shortage of jet fuel.
“A fuel supplier is currently working to resolve an issue affecting several airlines. The airport is assisting where possible, and passengers are advised to check directly with their airline for the latest information on their flight,” a spokesperson for Edinburgh Airport told the Scottish news outlet The Herald at the time.
Given the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the global jet fuel crisis it has caused, many were afraid that the fuel shortage at the Scottish airports might be related to the matter. Over the past few months, data have suggested that the United Kingdom is the European country most likely to experience eventual fuel supply issues.
However, the airports stated that short-term staffing issues with drivers at a fuel company used by both were to blame.
“A short‑term staffing issue has affected one of the fuel suppliers used by airlines at the airport, with work underway to return stock levels to normal. There have been no related flight cancellations, and the airport remains fully operational,” a spokesperson for Glasgow Airport stated.
According to the British news outlet BBC, EET Fuels – the fuel company experiencing staffing problems – was among others used by British Airways. A spokesperson of the carrier said that “British Airways flights from Edinburgh and Glasgow were operating and were not significantly affected”.
Since the incident, the fuel company has apologised for any inconvenience caused to travellers and personnel. They specified that the issue had been resolved, which seems to be confirmed by the fact that flights were running as per usual by early Monday morning. Moreover, the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero also stated that the problem was due to driver logistics, with no refinery issue or geopolitical supply problem to blame.
Contrary to some other airports in the United Kingdom, which are connected to the Exolum pipeline, the airports at Glasgow and Edinburgh receive their fuel by road. As airlines are in charge of sourcing and buying their fuel, different carriers use different suppliers – the airports simply provide the required storage and infrastructure. It is unclear whether or not other fuel supplies on-site, delivered by other fuel companies, could have resolved the shortage.
