A shortage of aviation fuel for small planes is crimping the summer flying styles for some pilots at Boundary Bay Airport.
The shortage has been going on for the last few weeks and will continue for several more, until the refinery that produces the fuel in Edmonton gets back to normal production.
“We’re not at the supply level that we’d be for normal operations,” said Kathy de Lisser, general manager of Alpha Aviation, which operates the airport.
The supply of aviation fuel, or avgas, was down about 85 per cent from normal, on Wednesday, she added.
That’s requiring the airport to ration fuel and prioritize commercial operations there such as the flight schools. The airport is also sourcing fuel from the U.S. until the shortage eases.
As for an exact date for restarting the refinery so normal shipments resume, “We have not had a firm date of reopening,” deLisser said, adding that could be some time in August.
She added that other smaller airports are also going without while small communities reliant on air shipments are also affected.
Summer is also a busy time for flying, which aggravates the shortage.
Keri Scobie, public and government affairs manager for Imperial Oil's Strathcona refinery in Edmonton, said that some resupply of Avgas is expected in early August.
Scobie said that Imperial is seeing typical seasonal demands for Avgas while a "temporary operational issue" at the refinery is impacting inventory levels.
"We continue to work to resolve the issue and are leveraging our broad supply chain network for our customers," Scobie said.
However, customers supporting essential services, including wildfire fighting efforts across the country, are being prioritized. "We regret the inconvenience this has caused and appreciate the patience and understanding of our customers," Scobie said.
The company will have more updates next week and said no other products are affected.
