Senegal plays down jet fuel shortage, says new shipment due

Senegal admitted to jet-gas delivery issues on Tuesday but denied that there was no inventory after the capital’s airport warned that planes might no longer be capable of refuel.

On Monday night, Blaise-Diagne International Airport said that “adverse worldwide conditions” and volatility in commodities markets had severely disrupted resources of jet fuel.

The airport, near the West African countries capital Dakar, informed incoming planes to hold sufficient gas that allows them to make go back flights

SMCady, the firm managing fuel at the airport, also said in a letter seen by AFP that it would be unable to refuel jets from Wednesday, for a period of about two weeks.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February has sent oil prices soaring worldwide. Russia, under stringent Western sanctions, is a major energy producer.

However at a news conference on Tuesday, Senegalese Energy Minister Sophie Gladima told reporters that fresh supplies of kerosene were due to arrive the same day.

“The situation is very tough but there is no shortage of supplies,” she said.

Airlines have reassured passengers that flights will continue. The national carrier Air Senegal stated Tuesday that its flight schedule would remain unchanged despite the shortage of kerosene.

A spokesman for Air France told AFP that flights between Dakar and Paris are stopping to refuel in the Canary Islands.

The International Air Transport Association stated it was in contact with Senegalese officials about the shortage.

“We are not aware of this being an issue in any other African countries currently,” an IATA spokeswoman said.