Refining and aviation: Jet A-1 fuel at Spain's airports

Tourism is one of the most important activities in the Spanish economy. According to the National Institute of Statistics (INE), tourism activity reached 200,699 million euros in 2024 (last published data), which represented 12.6% of the national GDP and generated more than 2.7 million jobs (or, in other words, 12.3% of total employment). A very important part of international visitors arrives in Spain by air, especially on long-distance journeys. This means that air transport plays an important role in tourism and, by extension, in the Spanish economy. 

And to make this tourist activity possible, there is an industrial and logistics chain that begins long before the plane arrives at the airport: in the production of fuel.

Air connectivity, a factor of competitiveness. Having a solid, efficient and resilient supply chain helps to maintain Spain's connectivity with the main tourist markets and major international economic centers. In a country where tourism has such a relevant weight, the availability of aviation fuel is not only an operational issue: it is part of the competitiveness of the destination and its ability to sustain a wide and reliable air service offering.

In Spain, the production of aviation kerosene is carried out in the refineries of the Iberian Peninsula, but it is only the first step in a large logistics chain. From the refinery to the aircraft, the fuel goes through several stages. 

Supply logistics operates continuously through different stages: 

• Leaving the refinery. Fuel is transported from the refinery via pipelines, tankers, or tank trucks to distribution centers. For large volumes and certain routes, pipelines allow fuel to be transported efficiently and continuously. 
• Airport storage. The fuel arrives at the storage terminals located in the airport facilities, where it is stored and the necessary quality controls and checks are carried out before distribution. 
• Distribution to the aircraft. From storage tanks, the product is distributed to aircraft parking positions via underground hydrant networks or via tanker trucks. 

Fuel loading on the plane (into-plane). It is the final fuel load on the aircraft.

A chain that can't be stopped. The challenge is not just to produce Jet A-1, but to ensure that the right fuel is available at the right airport and when every airline needs it. To do this, it is necessary to continuously coordinate production, inventories, transport, storage, quality controls, and final delivery to the aircraft. It is this integration of industrial, logistical and operational capabilities that makes aviation supply a critical service that works every day of the year.

At airports in the Aena network, services related to the storage and supply of fuel are provided under different contracting formulas and in accordance with the requirements applicable to airport operations. The service is provided at 21 airports in mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands, as well as at the main airports in the Canary Islands, helping to ensure fuel availability across the country’s key airports. 

This logistics chain, however, faced an exceptional situation during 2026.

To reduce the risk of supply problems, Spain adopted various measures, including the Comprehensive Crisis Response Plan in the Middle East (Royal Decree-Law 7/2026), which set the obligation to establish a weekly report of stocks and operations by operators to the National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC). At the same time, the Spanish refineries adapted their production to respond to the increase in the demand for aviation kerosene. In March 2026, CORES data recorded that domestic production reached an all-time high of 60,000 metric tons. 

However, the response capacity demonstrated during this period is closely linked to the industrial structure of refining in Spain.

Spain has a refining system consisting of eight industrial facilities. Over the past decade, as refining capacity declined in several regions of Europe, Spanish plants received investments aimed at improving their efficiency, conversion, and operational flexibility. 

This structure allows Spain to produce around 80% of the kerosene consumed by the national market, reducing the need to import certain refined products. The ability to process a wide variety of crudes allows production to be adapted when certain supplies are interrupted. 

According to impact analyses of the European refining sector prepared by FuelsEurope, a reduction in domestic refining capacity may lead to:

• Increased dependence on imports of finished products from third countries. 
• Greater exposure to potential geopolitical disruptions on international supply routes. 
• Greater exposure to trends in international prices of refined products. 
• Less flexibility to increase national production in emergency situations. 

At the same time, industrial complexes are evolving to incorporate new technologies and produce fuels with a lower carbon footprint, promoting processes to manufacture new alternatives to reduce emissions associated with air transport. 

This position of relative self-sufficiency reinforces Spain's energy independence and energy supply security in the field of air transport.

At the same time, the development of new renewable fuels requires research, innovation and collaboration between different players in the value chain. In this area, Repsol coordinates Madrid Vuela Sostenible, a research hub developed together with IMDEA Energía, ARIEMA and EVOENZYME, and with the support of the Community of Madrid and the European Union. The project works on technologies related to decarbonization and the circular economy, including the transformation of waste into sustainable aviation fuels.

Among its lines of work are the characterization of more than 40 residual raw materials, tests with up to a 50% sustainable component, the technical and environmental validation of the SAF and the development of a digital twin of the new industrial unit in Cartagena. Added to this activity is All4Zero, an industrially oriented technology innovation hub that includes, among other companies, Repsol and Iberia, working on technologies related to decarbonization and the circular economy. Collaboration between industry, airlines and technology centers is essential to transfer innovation from research to solutions capable of reaching industrial scale.