JAKARTA — The energy crisis triggered by the Iran war is hitting the global aviation industry, with shortages of jet fuel now threatening summer travel across Asia and Europe after Middle Eastern energy supplies were disrupted by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

As cited by CNBC, before the war broke out, jet fuel exports from the Persian Gulf were the largest supply source for global markets, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

However, Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz has severed one of the world’s main distribution routes. Europe has become the hardest-hit region, as around 20% of its jet fuel needs are supplied from the Persian Gulf.

Pressure is also building in Asia. Refineries in China, South Korea and India, which have long supplied jet fuel to global markets, themselves depend heavily on Middle Eastern crude oil.

Before the conflict, around 90% of oil exports from the Persian Gulf to Asia passed through the Strait of Hormuz.

Matt Smith, head of commodities research at Kpler, said Asian refineries are beginning to struggle to meet both domestic and international demand because of disruptions to crude oil supply chains.

“It’s like a car crash happening in slow motion,” Smith told CNBC. “We’re sleepwalking through it.”

Kpler data show global jet fuel exports plunged 30% to 1.3 million barrels per day in April, from 1.9 million barrels per day in the same month last year.

The volume of jet fuel loaded onto tankers fell 50% last week to 18.6 million barrels, compared with 37.8 million barrels in the same period of 2025.

“Jet fuel is extremely scarce,” said Gary Simmons, chief operating officer at Valero Energy.

In Europe, concerns over a supply crisis are intensifying. Airports Council International Europe warned that the European Union could face a “systemic jet fuel shortage” if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened soon.

Surging jet fuel prices have already forced airlines to cut flights. Lufthansa has reduced 20,000 short-haul flights through October because of mounting fuel costs.

Jet fuel prices in Europe have doubled over the past year to USD 187 per barrel as of 1 May, according to the International Air Transport Association.

European Union Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas said there was no clear evidence of physical fuel shortages as of 21 April, although commercial inventories were beginning to come under strain.

Meanwhile, Mike Wirth, chief executive of Chevron, warned that normalisation of global energy distribution would not happen quickly even if the conflict ended.

“It will take weeks and perhaps months,” Wirth said.

According to him, the Strait of Hormuz would still need to be cleared of sea mines, while hundreds of vessels stranded in the Persian Gulf would also need to be redeployed to restore global supply chains.

Andrew O’Brien, chief financial officer at ConocoPhillips, said energy markets had benefited from a temporary “grace period” thanks to oil shipments made before the war began in March and April. Those supplies, however, are now starting to run out.

“The impact of Middle Eastern oil supply disruptions on the global economy will become increasingly visible,” O’Brien said.

He also warned that some energy-importing countries could face severe supply crises starting in June or July.

In response to the pressure, the European Union has begun seeking alternative jet fuel supplies from the United States. US jet fuel exports to Europe surged more than 400% to 94,000 barrels per day in April compared with February, when the war began.

Valero increased jet fuel production to 30% of total distillate output in March, up from its normal average of 26%. Marathon Petroleum also expanded jet fuel production capacity by 30,000 barrels per day at its Garyville refinery in Louisiana.

Although better protected thanks to domestic production, the US still faces supply disruption risks, particularly on the West Coast, which has long relied on jet fuel imports from South Korea.

“It’s like a chain of falling dominoes,” Smith said. “Jet fuel is the first. Asia is the first region, but this will spread across the world, and it will spread across different products as well.” (DH/KR/ZH)