Alcobaça, Portugal, May 17, 2026 (Lusa) - Portugal's defence minister, Nuno Melo, said on Sunday that military aircraft fuel supplies at the Lajes airbase (a strategic Portuguese-US military airbase) in the Azores are not affected, after a fuel problem threatened civil airport supplies.
“Regarding my area of responsibility, meaning the fuel necessary for military operations, there is no problem, the fuel is available,” Nuno Melo said in Alcobaça, on the sidelines of the congress for the CDS-People's Party (a conservative political party) taking place in the Leiria district.
CNN Portugal reported on Saturday that the civil airport at Lajes airbase in the Azores would be unable to refuel aircraft next week due to “fuel contamination,” and that the issue affects only civil air traffic.
“Regarding civil fuel, another ministry oversees that supply, so I will not provide information that I cannot know,” he said.
Vitor Pereira told Lusa on Sunday that the fuel that arrived on the island of Terceira “did not meet the quality and safety tests that Galp (Portuguese energy company) has for its product.”
He added that it was not contamination and said fuel reserves guarantee planned flight operations.
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 airbase.
The party issued a statement considering the situation “extremely serious” and saying it “raises serious concerns about operational safety, infrastructure management, and the impact on the air transport of passengers and goods.”
“According to information, only emergency aircraft can refuel, while US military supplies remain unaffected because they use separate storage systems. However, it remains unclear whether operations by TAP (Portugal's flag carrier) or SATA (the Azores regional airline) will be compromised, making clear information for the population and regional entities even more urgent,” it said.
The party demanded that competent authorities “confirm or deny whether the fuel contamination is limited to a single tank and what level of risk has been identified,” and whether “there is a direct impact on civil operations, including TAP and SATA flights, patient transport flights, as well as Portugal's military operations, especially medical evacuations and search and rescue.”
It also wanted to know what contingency measures authorities have put in place to ensure the continuity of the essential public service, why military supplies remain unaffected, and whether there is proper separation between the civil and military systems.
The Azores BE, led by Antonio Lima, also seeks to clarify “whether maintenance, inspection or monitoring failures allowed the contamination.”
The party considered that the Azores’ people have the right to “rigorous and transparent information” on the matter, adding that it would take the necessary parliamentary initiatives to ensure that “authorities determine full accountability and safely restore operational normality.”
DA/LYT // ADB.
Lusa
