Flights Delayed and Canceled as Orlando Airport Runs Low on Jet Fuel
A man passes a Halloween display in front of a Southwest Airlines ticketing counter at Orlando International Airport on Monday, Oct. 31, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. Photo: Phelan M. Ebenhack (AP)
Rough weather in the Gulf prevented jet fuel supplies from reaching Orlando International Airport this weekend, causing flight delays and cancellations into Monday afternoon. As if traveling through Orlando, one of the busiest airports in the country, wasn’t stressful enough — travelers already have to contend with space vehicle launches, private plane traffic and a shortage of air traffic controllers. Now, after heavy fog snarled supply ships in the Gulf last week, the airport is running low on the fuel that keeps planes running.
As of Monday, two flights were delayed and four canceled at OIA due to fuel issues, according to WFTV. Some flights ended up taking off with a lighter load of fuel and making refueling stops that aren’t normally required along their routes, while other flights spent longer waiting on layovers so fuel could be located. The Federal Aviation Administration asked airlines flying into OIA to carry additional fuel over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal reports. Problems could slow down travel at OIA until Tuesday night, so anyone flying into or out of Orlando should keep a close eye on their flights.
There’s never a dull moment in Orlando it seems. This year, a drunk woman tried to outrun police at OIA by riding away on her luggage. Last year, a group of Stellantis fans stole multiple vehicles from the Orlando long-term parking deck. And the year before that OIA was 100 percent on the flying-car bullshit train. Speaking of trains, the deadliest one in the country now services the Orlando airport, taking travelers along Florida’s Treasure Coast at a rate of one death for every 37,000 miles traveled.
No one ever said transportation would be easy.
