EUROPE ONLY HAS six weeks’ supply of jet fuel because of the Middle East conflict, the head of the world’s energy watchdog has warned.

Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), warned there could be flight cancellations “soon” if oil supplies remain restricted by the Iran war.

Iran continues to have a stranglehold on tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Birol told the Association Press this is causing “the largest energy crisis we have ever faced”.

He added: “In the past there was a group called ‘Dire Straits.’ It’s a dire strait now, and it is going to have major implications for the global economy. And the longer it goes, the worse it will be for economic growth and inflation around the world.”

Birol said Asian countries such as Japan, India and China that rely on energy from the Middle East are on “the front line”, but pressure will then “come to Europe and the Americas”.

Europe has “maybe six weeks or so (of) jet fuel left”, he warned.

If the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened, the impact on Europe may be that “some of the flights from city A to city B might be cancelled as a result of lack of jet fuel”, he added.

“Some countries may be richer than the others. Some countries may have more energy than the others, but no country, no country is immune to this crisis,” he said.

Birol said over 110 oil-laden tankers and more than 15 carriers loaded with liquified natural gas are waiting in the Persian Gulf and could help ease the energy crisis if they could escape through the Strait of Hormuz.

However, he warned that this is “not enough”.

Meanwhile, easyJet chief executive Kenton Jarvis said earlier today that all the airports it serves are “operating as normal”.

He went on: “We only ever in this industry have three to four weeks visibility (of jet fuel supplies), and that is the same as it was pre-crisis.

“We have visibility to the middle of May, and we have no concerns.

“What we’re seeing is airports and fuel suppliers working well to bring jet fuel to the airports.”

EasyJet reported that the conflict in the Middle East cost it about £25m (€28.7m) in higher jet fuel prices last month.

The war has introduced “near-term uncertainty around fuel costs and customer demand”, easyJet reported.

Bookings are down 2% for the three months to the end of both June and September compared with a year ago.