At a press conference held on June 27, 2024, Narita Airport operator Narita International Airport Corporation’s President Akihiko Tamura revealed that 57 weekly flights are not operating due to the inability to secure fuel. This follows multiple other reports about fuel supply chain issues at airports around Japan.
According to Tamura, the fuel shortage issues started popping up approximately two to three months ago. The 57 affected flights planned to be operated by six airlines are reported to be mainly from China and other countries in Asia. While Tamura believes the domestic jet fuel supply chain issues could be, to an extent, resolved over the course of a year, he also said to fix the issue as quickly as possible, the company is working on importing the required fuel from overseas.
The scale of the fuel shortage which, in addition to Narita Airport, also affects Sapporo New Chitose Airport, for example, has prompted the Japanese government to form a task force that will discuss potential countermeasures to the issue.