Praia da Vitória, Portugal, May 17, 2026 (Lusa) - Lajes civil airport on the island of Terceira in the Azores has fuel reserves guaranteeing that the planned flight operations “would experience no changes” until a ship arrives with a new shipment, its director, Vitor Pereira, said on Sunday.
CNN Portugal reported on Saturday that the civil airport at the Lajes Base in the Azores will be unable to refuel aircraft next week due to “fuel contamination, which is not in a condition to be used”, and that the situation only affects civil air traffic.
Vitor Pereira told Lusa on Sunday that the fuel that arrived on Terceira “did not meet the quality and safety tests that Galp (Portuguese energy company) has for its product,” and added that the issue did not involve contamination.
The company chose “not to place this product on the market because it did not guarantee safety conditions for civil aviation,” since in aviation “, safety is the paramount word.”
The director said that the Lajes civil airport currently has reserves that “ensure the scheduled operation will not undergo changes,” although it has taken precautionary measures.
“We requested cooperation from airlines travelling to Terceira island to fly with more fuel than usual in their tanks so that we do not run out of fuel during this period, since reserves could end,” he said.
He said the airport also issued a notice for medical emergencies, asking authorities to redirect them to Ponta Delgada “until this situation is completely normalised.”
Vitor Pereira said that due to immediate action by the Azores regional government vice-president, Artur Lima, a ship arriving on Terceira island from Ponta Delgada on Sao Miguel island would reinforce fuel stocks on Sunday, which “will allow some breathing space.”
He added that “a ship with more fuel” would also leave Lisbon on Sunday, estimating that the situation would normalise “within two to three days.”
The Lajes civil airport director also said that situations of this nature do not happen regularly, but contingency plans allow them to face them “with some peace of mind,” with the cooperation of everyone involved in airline operations and of Air Base No. 4 (Portugal’s air force base on Terceira island).
The oil company supplying fuel to the Lajes civil airport is currently investigating what happened and will “provide more information later,” because it is not normal for “a substandard product” to arrive on the island, Vitor Pereira said.
The Azores branch of the Left Bloc (BE) party requested “immediate clarifications” on Saturday from the regional and national governments regarding the suspension of civil aircraft refuelling at the Lajes Base due to the contamination of a storage tank.
The party issued a statement considering the situation “extremely serious” and saying it “raises concerns about operational safety, infrastructure management, and the impact on the air transport of passengers and goods.”
ASR/LYT // ADB.
Lusa
