October 1, 2003 Sydney’s Fuel Returning to Normal

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By Arturo Weiss, Newswriter

Kingsford Smith International Airport in Sydney, Australia, has been experiencing an unusual problem for the last week: a fuel shortage. Production problems at Sydney refineries and delays in shipments have caused fuel supplies at the airport to drop below 35 percent lower than normal. Now, the fuel distribution company says that the situation is easing and normal supplies could be restored by the weekend. Regardless, the damage is done. Because this shortage has come at one of the airport’s peak seasons, the delays have been massive and several airlines plan to take action in search of compensation. As a result of the problem, airlines have been forced to delay or cancel some international flights and aircraft have been diverted to other airports to take on extra fuel. Singapore Airlines said it might seek compensation for the fuel rationing, which caused major disruptions of its flight schedule. Other carriers plan to follow suit with their own litigation.