Grounding Planes ‘A Distinct Possibility’: Tightened Global Fuel Supply Hitting Asian Nations Hardest

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has again warned of a “critical energy situation” as oil and gas markets convulse, underscoring growing fears of supply shocks, at a moment President Trump early this week claimed the Strait of Hormuz could “reopen very soon” if talks with Iran succeed – though Tehran has flatly denied any negotiations are underway as confusion reigns over the status of backchannel dialogue. 

Already one country says it is suffering a fuel shortage crisis, amid broader reports of some demand destruction problems coming in from various parts of the globe. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos on Tuesday said there’s a “distinct possibility” planes may be grounded due to a jet fuel shortage, connected to the war on Iran and de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

“Several countries have already told our airlines they cannot fuel their aircraft, so they have to carry fuel there and back,” he told Bloomberg News in an interview.

He additionally warned that long-haul flights could become “a much more serious problem” due to the fuel crisis and restrictions. He was specifically asked whether planes might inevitably be grounded, to which he responded: “We’re hoping not, but it’s a distinct possibility.”

Now in its fourth week, the US-Israel-Iran war had already disrupted commercial flights across the Gulf and Mideast region, especially impacting key regional hubs of Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, and Tel Aviv – due to the ongoing missile and drone danger in the skies. Another significant development reported by Bloomberg Tuesday:

Vietnam Airlines will temporarily suspend flights on some domestic routes as jet fuel shortages and rising fuel prices caused by the conflict in the Middle East start to impact the nation’s air travel.

The national flag carrier will cut around 23 flights per week from April 1 over tightened supplies of jet fuel, according to a statement from the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam. VietJet Aviation JSC is also reducing flights on some routes, according to schedules on its booking website.

But as far as oil and fuel flows disruptions, Asia in particular has been the first region to feel the supply crunch most acutely. Below is a round-up of some of the latest examples:

Flight surcharges: Some Asian countries, including Vietnam, say airlines are planning to role out fuel surcharges ​on ​international routes ⁠from early April.

Diesel shortages in Thailand: The abbot of Wat Saman Rattanaram in Chachoengsao province, about 50 miles east of Bangkok, warned that cremation services may have to be suspended. “In more than 50 years, I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said.

More drastic power-saving measures… Last week, the Thai government ordered civil servants to take the stairs rather than the lift, and it’s increased the air-conditioning temperature to 27C. It will tell government employees to wear short-sleeved shirts rather than suits.

Bangladesh electricity rationing:  Lectures at the country’s main universities have been cancelled until later this month as the government closed the campuses to save electricity.

India panic-buying gas supplies: India has been dealing with a squeeze in cooking gas supplies over the past few days, leading to panic-buying by domestic users.

Scrambling for cheap local alternatives: There are reports that suggest some regions in India are witnessing a spike in timber sales, while others see increased sales of cow dung cakes – both biomass fuels.

…and there are widespread images and examples of huge lines at gas pumps across various countries.

Major cities in India, particularly #Hyderabad is currently experiencing a severe Compressed Natural Gas #CNG shortage, forcing thousands of auto-rickshaws and cabs off the roads or into long, hours-long refueling queues pic.twitter.com/h0xMYHXDNr

— S.M. Bilal (@Bilaljourno) March 24, 2026

We also detailed earlier that hundreds of service stations across Australia have run out of fuel. 

Energy Minister Chris Bowen warned federal parliament on Monday that more than 109 gas stations in Victoria had run out of at least one grade of gas. He said 47 outlets in Queensland had no diesel, 32 had no regular unleaded, and 37 stations in New South Wales had completely run out of fuel.

The below data from Goldman Sachs charts an array of examples over the past couple weeks:

“The flow of oil to Asian refineries has slowed, and that has downward impacts on us,” Bowen said, adding, “We’re in an uncertain environment, so that’s why we’re doing all the preparatory work.” 

Bowen warned that fuel supplies were at about 38 days for gasoline. He said only 30 days of diesel and jet fuel remained. There’s the potential that the crisis could be coming to fuel pumps near you.