California Jet Fuel Woes Deepen as Asia Flows Hit Decade Low

Jet fuel exports from Asia to California are at the lowest point in at least a decade, adding another pressure point to a burgeoning air travel crunch on the West Coast stemming from the war on Iran.

With two days left in April 2026, only one confirmed cargo of jet fuel has departed Asia for California, according to energy analytics firm Vortexa Ltd. The Jag Parth, carrying 210,000 barrels of jet fuel, departed South Korea on April 19 and is expected to arrive in the Los Angeles area on May 8.

Prices for oil and refined products have soared around the globe since the conflict in the Middle East effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy shipping route. Jet fuel prices have risen faster than nearly any other oil product.

The issue is especially acute in California, which imports a considerable amount of its jet fuel from Asia, particularly South Korea. The state has only grown more reliant on imports after losing two refineries since October, effectively slashing 20% of its refining capacity.

Now, with Hormuz effectively closed, Asian refiners are cut off from key crude oil cargoes, and countries that typically export are curbing shipments. Those declining imports are poised to further tighten California’s jet fuel stocks.

California had 2.6 million barrels of jet fuel on hand as of April 17 — the fewest since November 2023. On a seasonal basis, the number is at its lowest for this time of year since 2003.

Asia’s Jet Fuel Exports to California Have Plummeted | April is tracking for the fewest barrels of jet fuel departing Asian countries to California in at least a decade

And that’s before the impact of declining imports hits in earnest. More than 820,000 barrels of jet fuel arrived in California from Asia in April, completing multi-week journeys across the Pacific after departing in March. That means the lack of exports will rear its head in the coming weeks, when cargoes would have typically arrived. To be sure, a fresh wave of cargoes could emerge in the coming days, returning monthly exports closer to typical levels.

In April 2025, five tankers carrying nearly 1.3 million barrels total departed on similar routes, arriving primarily in May, according to Vortexa.

For now, however, the supply crunch comes as California’s refineries run hard, producing over 2 million barrels of jet fuel a week between March 27th and April 17th. That’s a pace last seen over a four-week stretch in September 2025, before the closure of Valero Energy Corp.’s Benicia refinery and Phillips 66’s Los Angeles Refinery.

In Los Angeles, the benchmark for West Coast jet fuel markets, the fuel was priced at $4.78 a gallon as of Tuesday — the highest in the country.

Airlines around the world are raising prices for bags and tickets and dialing back profit forecasts because of war-related fuel costs.

Some airlines have begun cutting flights in and out of the West Coast as they look to slash capacity to lower fuel costs. United Airlines Inc. said cutting red-eye flights would be part of its planned service reductions.

Delta Air Lines Inc. has also cut two routes from Seattle to Mexico over the summer, another Seattle-to-Mexico flight for much of October and a route from Los Angeles to Mexico, a spokesperson for the airline said. Those changes are part of normal “summer planning,” the spokesperson said. The airline considers fuel prices, alongside seasonality, customer demand and other factors in choosing flights to cut.

The struggling budget carrier Norse Atlantic ASA has also cut all of its flights to and from Los Angeles.

Top photo: Ground operations employees fuel a passenger aircraft on the tarmac. Bloomberg.