Europe Turns to Israel for Jet Fuel as Hormuz Disruptions Expose Refinery Dependence

Israel will begin supplying jet fuel to Germany after Berlin requested assistance as the Hormuz crisis starts disrupting aviation fuel flows into Europe. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar informed Germany’s economy and energy ministry during meetings in Berlin this week that Israel would approve shipments after determining it had surplus jet fuel production capacity, according to Israeli media reports.

Sa’ar delivered the assurance in face-to-face discussions with officials from the ministry responsible for both economic policy and energy security.

Israeli officials said the shipments would be coordinated through domestic refining companies. Export volumes and delivery schedules are dependent on how the regional conflict develops and whether shipping and refinery operations remain stable. The Iran conflict has effectively spread far beyond crude markets themselves and into downstream fuel systems tied to aviation and transport.

Europe imports significant volumes of jet fuel and refining inputs connected to Middle Eastern energy flows, and disruptions around Hormuz are now hitting airline operating costs, fuel supply planning and broader transportation logistics across the continent.

Germany says there is no immediate shortage, but governments are increasingly moving into contingency management as the conflict destabilizes fuel markets well beyond oil itself. 7 billion to expenses this year.

Lufthansa is preparing for possible supply disruptions later in 2026. Roughly a third of Europe’s jet fuel demand was imported last year. Most of those imports were tied directly or indirectly to Gulf supply routes.

The IEA has warned Europe may have only weeks of comfortable jet fuel supply left if Hormuz disruptions continue. com reported that the supply problem itself has been building for years. Europe shut down or converted dozens of refineries over the past decade and became increasingly dependent on imported jet fuel from the Middle East.

U.S. cargoes are being redirected toward Asia, and European airlines are competing for replacement barrels in an increasingly tight global market. Airlines across Europe are already cutting flights, raising ticket prices and restructuring schedules as jet fuel prices surge.