A major airport in Italy has run out of fuel, leading to flight cancellations, according to reports. Brindisi airport said on Monday it had run out of fuel for planes, and started asking airlines to refuel elsewhere.

The airport ran out of fuel for at least a day, according to local reports. The issue was flagged in a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) issued by the Apulian airport on Monday, warning that aircraft fuel supplies would be unavailable until at least 2pm on Tuesday. However, Antonio Maria Vasile, president of Aeroporti di Puglia, which operates airports across the Apulia region of southern Italy, insisted there was “no emergency regarding the availability of fuel at Apulian airports. He added: “Fuel supplies continue regularly and there is no risk of an imminent shortage,” Mr Vasile told Adnkronos. He said the situation was caused by knock-on effects from problems at other airports. “In practice, aircraft arriving from Milan, Bologna and Venice refuelled in Brindisi, significantly reducing reserve supplies,” he said, adding that stocks are expected to be replenished today.

The NOTAM issued by the Apulian airport advises airlines to refuel elsewhere until at least 2pm on Tuesday, April 7.

Reggio Calabria, where there is a limit of 3,000 litres per aircraft, and Pescara, which has only one fuel tanker available, bring the total number of airports facing restrictions to six.

According to Il Giornale, one of Italy’s biggest news papers, president Pierluigi Di Palma of ENAC, Italy’s national civil aviation authority said the shortage was only temporary and linked to increased demand over the Easter holidays, rather than the war in Iran or the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

The increase in holiday-related traffic has reportedly “hightlighted an existing problem” in the supply of jet fuel.

Other major Italian airports are also facing problems, with Bologna Airport, Milan Linate Airport, Treviso Airport and Venice Marco Polo Airport introducing restrictions on refuelling following a notice issued by Air BP over the weekend.

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