Airlines will submit a proposal this week to tackle the way fuel is rationed at London's Heathrow Airport following allegations that non-UK carriers are being unfairly penalized by current shortages at the airport, they said on Tuesday.
An oil depot explosion knocked out about a third of Heathrow's fuel supply in December, forcing carriers from the United States, Asia, South Africa and elsewhere to tanker in large amounts of fuel or to re-fuel at other airports.
Global airlines body IATA will meet on Thursday to find an alternative to the current fuel-rationing system which allows British carriers based at Heathrow to fill up with more fuel than non-UK airlines.
"We are hopeful that meeting will lead to a way to tackle the problem of fuel shortages at Heathrow which is equitable for all the airlines involved," a spokesman for American Airlines, which has led opposition to the system, said.
American this week introduced a GBP£3 (USD$5.25) a passenger levy on all departures and arrivals from Heathrow to help offset some of the USD$20,000 it said it spends a day to tanker in extra fuel.
The US State Department last week complained to Britain that American and United Airlines were being unfairly penalized by the system. They are the only two US-based airlines permitted by treaty to use Heathrow.
The explosion at the London Buncefield oil depot destroyed its fuel supplies to Heathrow, with the depot providing one of three pipelines supplying the airport.
Airport owner BAA said it would consider any proposals which allowed the airport to function normally but normal fuel supplies would not be restored in the short term.
"Clearly we are not going to replace 30 percent of Heathrow's fuel supply overnight," a BAA spokesman said.
"What we want is an arrangement that allows the airport to stay open and function normally."
British Airways, the biggest Heathrow-based airline, said last week it was adhering to fuel allocation rules. Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic Airways and UK carrier bmi are also based at Heathrow.
