Planes top up on hop as jet fuel dries up

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http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/...083130400.html

Planes top up on hop as jet fuel dries up
By Joseph Kerr, Transport Reporter
September 26, 2003

International flights from Sydney face having to make extra stops to
refuel after the airport was forced to introduce snap rationing of jet
fuel.

Qantas flights QF1 to London and QF5 to Singapore were forced to divert
to Melbourne to top up after leaving Sydney with less than their usual
fuel load yesterday following tight rationing from 11am by Sydney
Airport's main distributor.

Overnight QF21 to Tokyo and QF187 to Hong Kong were expected to stop in
Cairns and Darwin respectively to pick up the balance of their fuel,
with only about one-third of the usual volume available in Sydney.

Virgin Blue was last night calling on suppliers to give domestic
services priority over international flights to avoid school holiday
and football finals chaos, but Qantas expected its domestic operations
to be unaffected.

Singapore Airlines was developing plans for refuelling en route to
Singapore, but expected flights to arrive late.

The shortage was being blamed on lower than expected jet fuel
production by Sydney refineries and delays in the arrival of shipments.

The Sydney Joint User Hydrant Installation, which stores and
distributes jet fuel at Mascot, said it could supply only 35 per cent
of the usual demand.

A spokeswoman for the facility, Helen Morgner, said the rationing could
last up to 48 hours.

The Shell refinery at Clyde had lower than usual production because a
bad batch of fuel had been rejected, while a tanker that arrived at
Botany Bay last night had been delayed for several days by storms, she
said.

The head of communications and strategy at Virgin Blue, David Huttner,
said the airline was working with Shell to make sure there was enough
fuel for its flights to leave on time.

"We will lift maximum fuel from other ports so as to minimise the
uptake here in Sydney. We ask fuel suppliers to ensure there's enough
fuel for the domestic carriers first because [of] the school holidays
.... and the grand final."

Mr Huttner said that with the tourism industry already reeling from a
tough year, he would not want to see the fuel shortage have any impact.

Ms Morgner said the fuel supply was being being monitored twice a day,
and arrangements were being worked out with airlines to minimise
disruption.

Five additional tanker shipments were expected to arrive from
interstate and overseas in coming weeks, while steps were being taken
to restore Sydney refinery production to full levels as soon as
possible.

BL.
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