“Our fuel suppliers as recently as this week have confirmed they expect no supply disruption right out to the middle of July, and the situation continues to improve,” Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said on Monday.
The airline boss said he is now confident that rising fuel imports from West Africa, the U.S. and Norway are making up for reduced volumes from the Middle East, caused by the blockade of most tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
The more optimistic mood is a stark contrast to the warning issued a month ago by Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, who said European countries could face jet fuel shortages by the end of May.
But the agency’s latest oil market report, issued earlier this month, now notes a surge in jet fuel production in the U.S. and West Africa.
“Alternative suppliers have moved to fill the gap,” the IEA said. “The United States flipped from a net importer in April 2025 to net exporter in early 2026, as strong refinery runs pushed jet fuel output to multi-year highs.”
European refiners like Spain’s Repsol have also ramped up production, with the company saying it planned to increase jet fuel output by 15 percent to 20 percent, and “will do everything in its power to help safeguard key sectors such as tourism, an activity of great importance to the Spanish economy.”