The energy crisis shaking European markets has begun to spill over from financial statements to checkout counters. The German Civil Aviation Association (BDL) has issued a warning about an imminent kerosene shortage, a scenario directly resulting from the instability in the Middle East. With damage reported at more than 80 strategic energy facilities, the global oil supply has been compromised by 20%, critically impacting a continent where three out of every four liters of aviation fuel come from the conflict-ridden region. The effect: last-minute travel becomes more expensive.
The tourism giant TUI has been emphatic in its projections for the 2026 summer season. The company anticipates that the traditional last-minute deals model could disappear or become drastically more expensive this year due to reduced flight availability and the record cost of kerosene, which has already surpassed $230 a barrel. The operator strongly recommends booking in advance to lock in current prices against volatility that threatens to spiral out of control right at the start of the summer holidays.
For the tourism sector in southern Gran Canaria, this news is particularly sensitive. Although demand for destinations like the Canary Islands remains at record highs, the logistics of reaching them are becoming more complicated. Lufthansa has already begun grounding aircraft and cutting unprofitable routes, a defensive maneuver in response to the inability of alternative US supplies to cover more than half of Europe's energy deficit.
While Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy is trying to project calm by assuring the public that fuel supplies are not in imminent danger, the operational reality at airports tells a different story. Partial fuel rationing is already a possibility being considered by European airport operators. TUI, for its part, remains optimistic about its own fleet, TUIfly, asserting that its flight schedule will be maintained, albeit under the premise that traveler flexibility and spontaneity will, for the first time in years, come with a prohibitive surcharge.
