The United Kingdom government has introduced temporary regulatory adjustments for the aviation sector to mitigate potential jet fuel shortages resulting from the conflict in Iran and the subsequent blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

英國政府已針對航空業推出臨時監管調整，以緩解因伊朗衝突及隨後霍爾木茲海峽封鎖而可能導致的噴擊燃料短缺。

The geopolitical instability in West Asia, specifically the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, has precipitated a significant escalation in global jet fuel costs, with prices reportedly doubling. This disruption has created a precarious logistical environment for European aviation, as the UK imports approximately 65% of its jet fuel, a substantial portion of which traditionally originates from the Middle East. While the Department for Transport maintains that no immediate supply deficits exist, the administration has initiated a proactive strategy to insulate the domestic travel market from systemic shocks.

西亞的地緣政治不穩定，特別是霍爾木茲海峽的關閉，導致全球噴擊燃料成本大幅上升，據報導價格已翻倍。這次擾亂為歐洲航空業創造了一個不穩定的物流環境，因為英國約 65% 的噴擊燃料為進口，且其中很大一部分傳統上源自中東。儘管運輸部維持認為目前不存在即時的供應短缺，但政府已啟動前瞻性策略，以使國內旅遊市場免受系統性衝擊。

Central to this strategy is the temporary suspension of the 'use it or lose it' protocol governing airport takeoff and landing slots. Under standard regulations, carriers must utilize their allotted slots at least 80% of the time to retain them for subsequent seasons. The proposed statutory instrument would permit airlines to proactively return a limited proportion of these slots without penalty. This flexibility is intended to facilitate the consolidation of flight schedules—specifically the merging of multiple daily services to the same destination—thereby reducing the operation of under-capacity aircraft and conserving fuel reserves for high-priority leisure routes.

該策略的核心是暫停管理機場起飛與降落時段的「不用即喪失」協議。根據標準法規，航空公司必須在至少 80% 的時間內使用獲分配的時段，才能在後續季節中予以保留。擬議的法定文書將允許航空公司主動歸還一定比例的時段而無需承擔處罰。這種靈活性旨在促進航班時間表的整合——特別是將每日前往同一目的地的多個航班合併——從而減少低載客率飛機的運作，並為高優先級的休閒航線保留燃料儲備。

Stakeholder positioning remains varied. The Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, asserts that these measures provide long-term certainty for passengers. Industry bodies, including Airlines UK and AirportsUK, have expressed support for the slot alleviation. Conversely, political opposition and consumer advocacy groups, such as Which?, have characterized the measures as being skewed in favor of corporate interests, suggesting that passengers may be subjected to suboptimal scheduling. Concurrently, the broader economic impact of the conflict is evidenced by the cessation of operations at Spirit Airlines in the United States, which the White House attributed to a combination of fuel price surges and a failed merger, despite the carrier's history of financial instability.

相關利益者的立場不一。運輸大臣 Heidi Alexander 主張，這些措施為乘客提供了長期確定性。包括 Airlines UK 和 AirportsUK 在內的行業團體對放寬時段限制表示支持。相反，政治反對派和消費者倡導團體（如 Which?）則將這些措施描述為偏向企業利益，認為乘客可能會面臨不理想的航班安排。同時，衝突造成的更廣泛經濟影響體現在美國 Spirit Airlines 的停止營運，白宮將其歸因於燃料價格飆升與合併失敗的共同影響，儘管該航空公司此前就有財務不穩定的紀錄。

The UK government continues to monitor fuel supplies daily and is exploring the adoption of US-specification Jet A fuel to enhance supply chain resilience for the summer period.

英國政府將繼續每日監控燃料供應，並研究採用美國規格的 Jet A 燃料，以增強夏季期間的供應鏈韌性。