The Latest News on the Colonial Pipeline Shutdown

Several airports around the South and the Washington area may be affected over the next few days because they are connected to the pipeline and typically retain only a few days’ supply.

The interstate pipeline system used to supply jet fuel to airports had already grown increasingly vulnerable to costly disruptions in recent years, Airlines for America, an industry trade group, said in a 2018 report. And when disruptions do occur, airlines have few options beyond flying in extra fuel, adding stops to flights, or canceling and rerouting flights altogether.

“Pipelines play a critical role in supplying our nation’s jet fuel and ensuring air service — for passengers and cargo — to small and large communities,” the group said at the time. “Unfortunately, our national pipeline system today is fragile.”

After the disruption last weekend, American Airlines said it had added stops to two daily flights out of Charlotte, N.C. One, to Honolulu, will stop in Dallas, where customers will change planes. The other, to London, will stop in Boston to refuel. The flights are expected to return to their original schedules on Saturday. Southwest Airlines said it was flying in supplemental fuel to Nashville, and United Airlines said it was flying extra fuel to Baltimore; Nashville; Savannah, Ga.; and Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport in South Carolina. United, Southwest and Delta Air Lines said they had not experienced any disruptions to their operations so far.

Gillian Friedman contributed reporting.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/11/business/colonial-pipeline-shutdown-latest-news.html