SCOTLAND's major airports were forced to ration vital fuel supplies to airlines to avoid disruption to flights, it has emerged.
Operators at the country's two busiest hubs – Edinburgh and Glasgow – were among those forced to take the drastic action.
They ordered rationing in order to maintain scheduled flights to and from Scotland in the wake of a major problem in the supply of aviation fuel from the only operating refinery north of the Border.
Concern was raised over the quality of the jet fuel supplied by the Grangemouth plant, forcing its owners Petroineos to halt deliveries until the matter was resolved.
Fearing it could lead to supply shortages Scottish airport bosses were forced to ration stocks to try to avoid flight cancellations and disruption. A spokesman at Edinburgh Airport confirmed that it had experienced problems in fuel supplies since Tuesday.
He said: "There has been a shortage of aircraft fuel across Scottish airports caused by quality issues at Petroineos' Grangemouth refinery.
"This has meant we have had to ration our supplies."
Glasgow Airport said it had maintained its flight schedule by using stocks held on site.
Ineos – which operates the refinery – stressed no flights had been disrupted as a result of the problem.
Initially it was feared that crucial fuel supplies to Scotland's garage forecourts could also be affected although none have been reported.
But the AA put its breakdown teams on alert while Central Scotland police force did likewise with its traffic division.
In a statement Ineos said: "Petroineos has been supplying jet fuel this week to all airports in Scotland. The company has been working with customers to help them prioritise deliveries as suppliers bring their infrastructure and levels of resilience back to normal.
"To our knowledge no passengers have been affected since deliveries commenced on Monday morning."
But the problem has sparked concern that there could be a shortage of fuel supplies this winter.
Refinery maintenance and closures in Europe and the US are limiting the availability of oil products, making retailers vulnerable to supply shocks.
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