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Finnair gains from SAS withdrawal and Middle East disruption
Finnair has reported that it is experiencing a rise in 'transit traffic' on its Asian routes, as rival SAS reduces some of their'services. Other airlines are also struggling with Middle East -related disruptions. Scandinavian Airlines, the largest airline in the Nordic region, will make Copenhagen its hub in 2024 after a post pandemic restructuring where the Swedish government sold its shares. Air France-KLM has now considered a controlling interest. This overhaul has resulted in a reduction of direct long-haul flights from Stockholm Arlanda Airport, despite Sweden's being the largest economy within this region. It has also pushed more passengers to transit through Finnair's hub at Helsinki instead of Copenhagen. Finnair's Chief Sales Officer Christine Rovelli stated that "as they (SAS), have rearranged the flights to focus on Copenhagen, we have (...) noticed a shift from some of their destinations they have stopped servicing onto our own networks." Rovelli stated that Finnair has 19 long haul?destinations this year from Helsinki, while SAS only flies 11 destinations from Stockholm. High?Hedging The Iran War has caused fuel prices to soar and disrupted travel in the Gulf, as well as on long-haul routes that stop there. SAS increased ticket prices and canceled 1,000 flights just in April. Finnair's first-quarter operating results improved by 47 million euros (40 million euro) after it hedged over 80% of fuel during the first two quarters, and 69% throughout the rest of the calendar year. Rovelli stated, "The Middle East situation has helped us increase demand for our flights, but it's controversial." Finnair's revenue from Asian routes increased by nearly 15% between 2024 and 2025. Finnair is also upgrading its 'European fleet' after struggling through the pandemic, and the closures of Russian airspace. This was supported by an extensive state recapitalisation. Rovelli stated that SAS's decision to abandon the three-hub model?spanning Copenhagen Oslo and Stockholm also created growth opportunities for Finnair?Norway. Norwegian is the main airline at Oslo Gardermoen Airport. It has no international routes. Rovelli stated that the decision by Sweden and Norway to "give up their national holdings" in airlines has only reinforced Finnair's argument for remaining independent. She said, "We are very happy to remain independently and we fully anticipate success in doing so." Finland owns a 55.7% share in Finnair. Finnair is a member of the Oneworld alliance.
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Source: Ukraine will take action against Israel if a grain ship docks
Israel could face a legal and diplomatic response from Kyiv, according to a Ukrainian diplomatic source. If it allows a vessel bringing?grain?from the Russian-occupied Ukraine?to dock at?the port?of Haifa? The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that earlier the Panormitis vessel, which was carrying grain from occupied Ukrainian territories that Kyiv considers stolen, was awaiting permission to berth in Haifa. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: "If the ship and its cargo are not rejected, we reserve the right to use a full suite of diplomatic -and international legal-responses." Israel's Foreign Ministry did not respond immediately to a comment request. Haaretz reported Sunday that four shipments of grain from the occupied Ukraine have already been unloaded into Israel this year. The source stated that "the practice of laundering stolen goods is unacceptable and Israel has basically shrugged our demands in regards to the previous vessel." The source added that Kyiv had been tracking the vessel and warned that docking it would have a negative impact on bilateral relations between Ukraine & Israel. (Reporting and editing by Ros Russell. Additional reporting by Alexander Cornwell, Jerusalem)
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Rio Grande extends its LNG facility construction in Texas for three years
Rio Grande LNG 'has requested a three-year Extension from the U.S. Federal Regulatory Commission 'to?construct a export facility in Texas. In a Friday filing with the energy regulator, the company said that it needed time to complete certain projects and to make the Port of Brownsville liquefied?gas export facility operational by 2031. Rio Grande LNG, a?facility under construction owned by NextDecade with a capacity to?export 48?million tonne per year of super-chilled natural gas. Rio Grande has announced that construction on all five LNG trains is moving forward at the Rio Grande Terminal. Workers have been mobilized and are completing building activities across the site. The construction of trains 1-3 should be completed in the first quarter of?2029 and the remainder by the second of?2031. The five-train terminal is an important part of the company's LNG export ambitions on the U.S. Gulf Coast. Rio Grande expects to finish all authorized project facilities by November 22nd 2031. (Reporting and editing by Leroy Leo, Maju Samuel, and Pranav Mathur from Bengaluru)
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Russian superyacht passes through the blocked Strait of Hormuz
Shipping data revealed that a superyacht associated with Russian billionaire Alexey Mordashov, who is sanctioned, sailed the Strait of?Hormuz Saturday. It was one of?very, very few vessels? to pass through the blocked shipping lane in the?heart of U.S.Iran conflict. Nord, a 142-meter (465 foot) yacht valued at over $500 million, left a Dubai Marina on Friday around 1400 GMT, crossed the Strait on Saturday and arrived in Muscat on Sunday morning. The multi-deck vessel's route is unclear. Iran has restricted the flow of traffic through the Strait since?February. The strait is responsible for around a fifth of the world’s oil supply. Mordashov's representative declined to comment Monday. Washington and Tehran have maintained an uneasy ceasefire, which has seen only a handful of mainly merchant vessels pass through the important waterway at Gulf's entrance. This is a fraction of what was an average 125-140 'daily passages' before the Iran War began on February 28. As a countermeasure the U.S. imposed a port blockade on Iran. Russia and Iran have been long-time allies, and they've become even closer in the last few years. This is thanks to a 2025 agreement that boosted intelligence and security collaboration. Abbas Araqchi, the Iranian Foreign Minister, arrived in Russia on Monday to meet Vladimir Putin after talks with mediators over the weekend in Pakistan and Oman. Mordashov is known to be close with Putin but is not listed as the owner of Nord. Shipping data and Russian corporate documents from 2025 show that the vessel was registered in 2022 to a Russian company owned by Mordashov's wife. This company is registered in Cherepovets (Russia), where Mordashov’s steelmaker Severstal also is. Mordashov is one of a number of Russians who were sanctioned after the Russian invasion of Ukraine by the United States of America and European Union for their "links" to Putin. According to Superyacht Times, the Nord is one of the world's largest yachts. It has 20 staterooms and features a swimming-pool, a helicopter pad, and a sub. (Reporting and editing by Alessandra Prrentice and Ros Russell Additional reporting and writing by Anastasia Lyrchikova, Jonathan Saul and Gleb Stolyarov)
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Airline cancels flights due to Middle East conflict
The global air travel industry is still severely affected by the Iran War. Many people are unable to fly when they planned, after major Middle Eastern hubs such as Dubai, Doha, and Abu 'Dhabi were closed. The latest flight information is listed below alphabetically: AEGEAN AIRLINES The largest airline in Greece will resume its flights to Tel Aviv on April 28. Heraklion, on April 30, and Rhodes and Larnaca, on May 21. Thessaloniki-Tel Aviv flights are cancelled up until June 26. Flights to Riyadh, Amman and Dubai will resume on May 21. The flights to Beirut have been cancelled until June 26. Flights to Dubai will be suspended until June 29. Erbil, Baghdad and Erbil are also affected until May 2. AIRBALTIC AirBaltic, a Latvian airline, has announced that flights to Tel Aviv are cancelled until May 31, 2019. Dubai flights are cancelled until 24 October. AIR CANADA The Canadian carrier has canceled flights to Tel Aviv, Dubai and Abu Dhabi until September 7. AIR EUROPA Spanish Airlines has cancelled all flights to Tel Aviv till May 31. AIR FRANCE-KLM Air France has suspended Tel Aviv flights to Beirut, Dubai, and Riyadh until May 3. KLM suspends flights to Riyadh and Dubai until the 14th of June. CATHAY PACIFIC Hong Kong Airlines has suspended its flights to Dubai, Riyadh and cargo freighter service to Dubai and Riyadh up until May 31, and until June 30, respectively. In April, the airline will increase passenger flights from Hong Kong to London, Paris, and Zurich to meet the increased demand for travel to Europe. It intends to continue operating all scheduled flights after June. The U.S. carrier cancelled flights between New York and Tel Aviv, and has delayed the start of its Atlanta to Tel Aviv route till September 5. The launch of the Boston-Tel Aviv flight, originally scheduled for late October, was delayed until further notice. EL AL ISRAEL AIRLINES Israel's carrier announced that it will continue to expand its operations and, from April 27, operate flights to around 40 active gateways. All flights to Dubai have been cancelled until May 31, 2019. EMIRATES The UAE airline announced that it will be operating a reduced flight schedule and flying to over 100 destinations. ETIHAD AERWAYS The UAE carrier has announced that it operates a commercial flight schedule from Abu Dhabi to around 80 destinations. FINNAIR The Finnish airline has cancelled all flights to Doha until July 2 and continues to avoid the airspaces of Iraq, Iran Syria, and Israel. The airline will only resume its Dubai flights by October. British Airways, owned by IAG, will reduce flights to the Middle East once services resume. Jeddah will be permanently dropped as a destination. From July, it plans to reduce the number of flights to Dubai, Doha and Tel Aviv from two daily flights to just one. Riyadh will be reduced from two daily flights in mid-May to just one. The changes will be in effect until the end of the summer season on October 24. One Dubai service will resume on October 16th. Iberia Express, the Spanish low-cost carrier of IAG, has canceled flights to Tel Aviv until May 31. KUWAIT AIRWAYS On April 26, the airline will resume flights to 17 destinations out of Kuwait International Airport after the authorities reopened Kuwait's airspace. Jazeera Airways is another Kuwaiti carrier that has resumed service from Kuwait to nine destinations after temporarily moving operations to Saudi Arabia. JAPAN AIRLINES Japan Airlines has suspended its scheduled Tokyo-Doha and Doha-Tokyo flight until May 31, and Doha-Tokyo until June 1. The Polish airline has suspended flights to Tel Aviv till May 31. The airline also cancelled flights from March 31 until May 30, and from June 30 to 30 to Riyadh. The airline will operate its winter route from Dubai to?October. LUFTHANSA GROUP Lufthansa and other airlines, including Swiss, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines, have suspended flights from Dubai and Tel Aviv to Dubai until May 31. Flights to Abu Dhabi and Amman, Beirut Dammam, Riyadh Erbil Muscat Tehran, Riyadh Erbil, Brussels Airlines, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Edelweiss have been suspended until May 31. Eurowings, a low-cost carrier, has suspended flights from Tel Aviv to Beirut until May 11, Erbil and Beirut until May 14, and Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Amman to?October 24. ITA Airways has extended the suspension of flights from Tel Aviv, Riyadh, and Dubai to May 31. MALAYSIA AIRLINES Malaysian Airlines has suspended all flights to Doha through June 14. NORWEGIAN AIR The low-cost carrier has pushed back the planned launch of its Tel Aviv & Beirut services until June 15. PEGASUS Pegasus Airlines, Turkey's national airline, has cancelled all flights to Iran, Iraq, Amman Beirut, Kuwait Bahrain Doha Dammam Riyadh Dubai Abu Dhabi Sharjah and Abu Dhabi until June 1. QANTAS Australia's national carrier has added flights to Rome, Paris and other European destinations to meet the increased demand. The number of flights to Paris will rise from three to five weekly return flights, and the Perth to Singapore service will go from daily to ten flights per week. A new schedule for flights will be implemented gradually from mid-April until late July. QATAR AIRWAYS From May 1, the carrier will resume daily flights from Damascus to Bahrain, Kozhikode and Kozhikode. Qatar Airways has announced that it will expand its international flight network from June 16 to more than 150 destinations. ROYAL MAROC The Moroccan carrier has announced that flights to Doha and Dubai have been cancelled until 30 June. SINGAPORE Airlines In response to increased demand, the carrier has extended its Singapore-Dubai suspension flight until May 31 and added?services' on the Singapore London Gatwick route until late October 24, while also adding?services' on the Singapore Melbourne routes until late March. TURKISH AIRLINES SunExpress, Turkish Airlines joint venture with Lufthansa has cancelled flights from Dubai to May 21. WIZZ AIR Low-cost carrier suspends flights from Europe to Amman, Dubai and Abu Dhabi until mid-September. All flights to Medina are suspended indefinitely. (Compiled by Josephine Mason and Jamie Freed. Elviira Loma, Tiago Branao, Agnieszka Olesska, Bernadette HOG, Boleslaw LaSocki, Romolo Tosiani. Editing by Sumana Nady, Joe Bavier Mark Potter Milla Nissi -Prussak Susan Fenton Rod Nickel
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Fuel costs are increasing, so airlines are reducing their prices and cutting back on their outlook.
The U.S. and Israeli war against Iran, which has pushed up jet fuel prices, has shook the aviation industry around the world. Airlines have been forced to increase fares and re-evaluate their financial forecasts. In recent weeks, jet fuel prices have increased from $85-$90 per barrel up to $150-$200 per barrel. This is a major financial blow to an industry that relies on fuel for up to 25% of its operating costs. Here is an alphabetical list of the ways airlines are responding to climate change. AEGEAN AIRLINES The Greek airline anticipates that the suspension of Middle East flights, as well as a spike in fuel costs, will have "significant impact" on their first-quarter earnings. AIRASIA X Malaysian Airlines executives claimed that the company has?cut 10 percent of flights in the group and imposed a fuel surcharge of around 20 percent. AIR CANADA The Canadian largest airline plans to reduce four of its daily flights to New York to 38 due to rising fuel prices. From June 1,?2026, the four flights to JFK International Airport are being cut. AIR FRANCE-KLM The airline group announced that it would increase the price of long-haul tickets to offset rising fuel costs. Cabin fares are expected to increase by 59 euros (50 euros) per round-trip. KLM, the Dutch arm of the group, announced on April 16 that it would cancel 160 flights across Europe in the next month due to higher fuel prices. AIR INDIA The Indian airline said that it will change its fuel surcharge system from a flat surcharge for domestic flights to one based on distance. The Indian carrier said that surcharges for international routes do not compensate the steep rise in fuel costs. AIR NEW ZEALAND On April 7, the airline announced that it would cut flights in May and June, and raise fares. It was one of the first airlines to announce a large increase in ticket prices after the conflict broke. The airline also suspended its earnings forecast for the full year due to volatility in the fuel markets. AIR TRANSAT The Canadian airline announced that it would reduce its planned capacity by 6 percent from May to October of this year. Cuts are expected to be made on routes to Europe, the Caribbean and Cuba. AKASA AIR Akasa Airlines, based in India, announced that it would be introducing fuel surcharges ranging from 199 to 1,300 Indian Rupees ($2 - $14) for domestic and international flights. ALASKA AIR The airline retracted its profit forecast for the full year and warned that margins would be severely impacted by the sharp increase in fuel prices. It has also reduced capacity in certain markets. AMERICAN AIRLINES The U.S. airline slashed their 2026 profit projection, pushing lower expectations to a lose, and stated that it expects its jet fuel bills to rise by more than 4 billion dollars this year. The government has increased the fees for checked bags on domestic flights and short-haul international flight by $50 for the third bag and $10 for each of the first two bags. It also reduced certain benefits to economy passengers. ASIANA AIRLINES Newsis reported that the South Korean airline would cut 22 flights from April to July because of fuel price increases. CEBU AIR The Philippines-based carrier said that the sharp increase in fuel prices is a major concern. It will continue to review pricing and network strategies and try to minimize the impact. CHINA - EASTERN AIRLINES Air China said that it would increase fuel surcharges on domestic flights starting April 5. Flights of less than 800 km will be charged a surcharge of 60 yuan, and flights above 800 km will be charged a surcharge 120 yuan. DELTA AIR LINES Delta announced that it would reduce capacity by 3.5 percent from its original plan, and increase fees for checked baggage in order to offset the rising costs of jet fuel. The increase will be $10 for first and second bags, and $50 on third bags. The U.S. carrier pulled all planned growth in capacity for the current quarter, and forecast profits below Wall Street expectations. EASYJET EasyJet has warned that it will suffer a larger half-year loss before tax of between 540 and 560 millions pounds ($732 and $759million), including an extra 25 million pounds of fuel costs in march. FRONTIER Airlines According to The Wall Street Journal, a group of U.S. airlines including Frontier have pitched a $2.5 Billion relief plan to the U.S. Government. The report stated that the figure was based on the amount of jet fuel the group expected to spend this year in comparison to previous forecasts. Fuel prices have increased dramatically since the carrier's forecast, and it has stated that it will be reviewing it. GREATER BAY Airlines The Hong Kong-based firm said that it will increase fuel surcharges for most routes on April 1, but keep them the same on routes to mainland China and Japan. HONG KONG Airlines The airline announced that it would increase fuel surcharges up to 35% starting March 12. The biggest increases would be on flights between Hong Kong, the Maldives and Bangladesh, and?Nepal where the charges would go from HK$284 to HK$384. British Airways' owner IAG announced it would increase ticket prices in order to reflect the higher costs of jet fuel. Despite its fuel hedges it is "not immune" from the wider fallout caused by fuel price volatility. INDIGO India's largest airline announced that it will introduce fuel charges for domestic and international flights starting March 14. The charge for flights into the Middle East is 900 rupees and for flights into Europe, 2,300 rupees. JETBLUE AERWAYS Joanna Geraghty is the CEO of the low-cost airline based in the United States. She told her employees, via a memo, that she would not be considering bankruptcy this year despite the fact that rising jet fuel prices threaten the financial recovery. According to an SEC filing, the company has entered into a debt financing agreement worth $500 million. Sources with knowledge on the subject have confirmed that KOREAN will be entering emergency management mode in April as oil prices continue to rise. LUFTHANSA The German airline group announced a new low-cost "Economy Basic", which limits free carry-on luggage to a "laptop or small backpack". Previously, the group said that 20,000 short-haul flight would be removed from their schedule by October. This is equivalent to about 40 metric tons jet fuel. PAKISTAN INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES Fuel surcharges are cited as the reason for raising domestic flight prices by $20, and international flights by up to $100. QANTAS AIRWAYS Qantas, an Australian airline, said that it has delayed a planned A$150-million ($108-million) buyback. It also increased its fuel estimate for the second half 2026 from A$2.5 billion to A$3.1 billion or A$3.3 billion. Scandinavian Airlines announced that it would cancel 1,00 flights in April due to high jet fuel and oil prices. In March, the airline had cancelled "couples of hundred" flights. SPIRIT AIRLINES Air Current reported that people familiar with the situation said the U.S. low cost carrier requested hundreds of millions in emergency funding from the Trump administration to offset the rising fuel prices and prevent a potential liquidation. SPRING AIRLINES Budget Chinese airline announced that it will increase fuel surcharges for domestic flights starting April 5. Details to be announced in due course. SOUTHWEST Airlines The U.S. airline forecast its second-quarter profits below the market's expectations. Its CEO also warned that the price spike in jet fuel would be a "billion-dollar headwind" for the airline during the quarter. The previous increase in the cost of checked bags was $10. The Portuguese airline claimed that its price increases would partially offset the impact of fuel prices changes on its revenues. THAI AIRWAYS The Thailand-based airline said it would increase fares between 10% and 15% in order to combat rising fuel prices. The European airline and tour operator reduced its full-year profit forecast and suspended revenue guidance. It said it had incurred extra costs of about 40 million euro due to the March war, including repatriation and operational disruptions. TURKISH AIRLINES LUFTHANSA SunExpress is a joint venture of Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa. It announced that it would charge a temporary fuel fee of 10 euros for each passenger on routes connecting Turkey with mainland Europe. The fuel surcharge will be applied to all bookings made after April 1, for departures after May 1. Turkish Airlines announced on April 10 that it would not be distributing any dividends from its net profit for 2025, instead choosing to keep earnings and preserve cash. T'WAY AIR As part of the measures taken to combat the effects of war, the South Korean low-cost airline said that it would furlough cabin crew in May and/or June without pay. UNITED AIRLINES Scott Kirby, the CEO of the U.S. airline, said that ticket prices could rise up to 15%-20% to compensate for a spike in jet fuel costs. The company has already implemented five fares increases in the last quarter of this year, as well as higher baggage fees. This, it says, have helped offset the rising fuel prices. The carrier forecasted second-quarter profits and full-year profit below Wall Street expectations. It said that it would recover only 40-50% through fares and revenue measures during the second quarter. This figure will improve to 70-80% in the third, and up to 85-100% in the fourth. VIETJET Due to possible fuel shortages, the Vietnamese budget airline has 'adjusted' flight frequencies on certain routes. VIETNAM Airline Vietnam's aviation authority announced that the carrier will cancel 23 flights per day on domestic routes starting in April after it requested assistance from the government to remove an environment tax on jet fuel. VIRGIN ATLANTIC Corneel Kster, the CEO of the airline, told The Financial Times that despite adding fuel surcharges on fares this year it will struggle to achieve profitability. VIRGIN AUSTRALIA Virgin Australia has said that it expects an increase of jet fuel costs of between A$30 and A$40 million in the second half of the fiscal year. It also anticipates a 1% decrease in capacity for the fourth quarter. VOLOTEA The Spanish low cost airline has introduced a new pricing strategy that links ticket prices with fuel costs. This could add an additional surcharge after purchase of up to fourteen euros per passenger per flight. WESTJET Globe and Mail reports that the Canadian airline has reduced seat capacity in June. The Canadian Press reported previously that the airline would add C$60 ($44.50) to certain bookings, and combine flights due to rising costs.
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United Airlines abandons merger talks with American Airlines following rejection of their merger proposal
United Airlines announced on Monday that it had stopped its pursuit of a merger with American Airlines after the latter declined to engage in a first approach. Scott Kirby, CEO of United Airlines, said: "I wanted to tell that story to American but they refused to engage with me and responded instead by 'publicly closing the doors. Kirby brought up the idea of a merger with American during a meeting in late February with U.S. President Donald Trump, according to people familiar with the situation. The meeting was to discuss the future development of Washington's Dulles Airport. The combination of two of the U.S.'s largest network carriers would have been the biggest consolidation in a decade. It would have further tightened a market that was already dominated by four similar-sized players. Analysts and experts are concerned about the antitrust implications of a possible tie-up due to its size. Reporting by Shivansh Tiwary, Bengaluru. Editing by Shinjini Ganuli
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Data shows that shipping traffic through Hormuz is still low, despite the absence of any US-Iran agreement.
Shipping data revealed on Monday that at least seven ships?mostly dry bulk vessels? had crossed the Strait of Hormuz in the last 24 hours. This is consistent with the recent tepid activity, and talks between Iran & the United States are stalling. According to data from ship tracking specialists SynMax and Kpler, the vessels involved included dry bulk vessels?leaving Iranian ports and ships leaving Iraqi port. The shipping traffic that passed through the vital waterway at the 'entrance to Gulf' during an uneasy ceasefire, between Washington and Tehran, represents only a fraction the 140 average daily passages prior to the Iran War beginning on February 28, 2008. The U.S. Central Command has redirected 37 ships since a blockade against Iran was imposed in April 2013, the military announced on April 25. According to satellite analysis by TankerTrackers.com, six Iranian 'tankers' returned to Iranian ports in the last few days and sailed through Hormuz with 10.5 million barrels?of?oil. TankerTrackers.com estimates that around four million barrels?of?Iranian?oil onboard tankers passed through the U.S. ban?on April 24. Reporting by Jonathan Saul Editing and Bernadettebaum by David Goodman
European budget airline Wizz upbeat on summer demand, jet fuel supply
Wizz Air’s CEO said that the European budget carrier's summer schedule will be 17% bigger this year. Growth is focused on the Balkans and Caucasus, despite concerns about jet fuel supplies and costs related to the Iran War.
Jozsef Varradi, a reporter at a press briefing, said: "We're much stronger this year on summer bookings than last year." This was after airlines such as easyJet and TUI had announced recent?drops? in forward bookings. They also issued profit warnings.
Analysts are uncertain about the longer-term outlook for European airlines as jet fuel hedges begin to run out in coming months.
Varadi stated that Wizz Air had 70% of its fuel requirements covered for the summer and would be receiving 35 new 'Airbus aircraft in 2026. He said that the Hungarian airline would renew its hedges this summer when they expire in order to?protect itself against price volatility. Tankers were enticed to go to the U.S. for jet fuel at a $1,500 price per metric ton, according to Varadi, to make up for any shortfalls in Middle East jet fuel. (Reporting and writing by Joanna Plucinska; editing by Kate Holton, Alexander Smith and Sarah Young)
(source: Reuters)