President Gustavo Petro ruled out this Sunday that there is a “jet fuel shortage” in the country, after the airline Latam warned that three airports no longer have fuel, and added that it is a “irregular activity”.
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“There is no shortage of jet fuel. What exists is an irregular activity that is already under investigation”Petro wrote on his X account, where he shared a statement from Ecopetrol in which the state oil company guarantees “the supply of aviation fuel”.
Through a statement, Latam warned this Sunday about a fuel crisis for airplanes, which would have left the airports of Leticia, Montería and Bucaramanga without supplies, while in Bogotá “is being reduced to critical levels”.
This is due to the electrical failure that affected the Cartagena de Indias Refinery on August 16 and which, according to Ecopetrol, will generate a 5% deficit in aviation fuel deliveries in the country, the airline said.
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Gustavo Petro.
THE TIME file
Faced with this information, Ecopetrol indicated this Sunday that the Cartagena Refinery “operates normally, fulfilling fuel delivery” and that during This weekend, more than 64,000 barrels of gasoline, 108,500 of diesel and 27,000 barrels of jet fuel were delivered to wholesale distributors..
In addition, Ecopetrol imported 100,000 barrels of aviation fuel that will arrive in the country next weekend and with which “It is projected that the legal minimum established for jet supply will be met at the end of August”.
“At this time, the Cartagena Refinery is operating in accordance with the established production program to meet the deliveries of fuels and supplies required by the country.”the oil company concluded.
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The Colombian president, however, did not provide further details of the alleged “irregular activity” under investigation and could be behind the lack of aviation fuel.
According to Latam, since the beginning of the week it is “implementing a contingency plan to manage fuel consumption” with measures such as loading “extra fuel outside Colombia for Latam Airlines international flights, adjustments in operational processes and flight-by-flight monitoring of consumption for each airport in the country”.
EFE
