The Sri Lankan Civil Aviation Authority has recommended all airlines flying to the island, including SriLankan Airlines (UL, Colombo International), to refuel abroad due to Jet A1 shortages in the country.

"We've asked airlines to carry the required fuel while operating to Sri Lanka, because there is a shortage of aviation fuel, and we have to manage the situation," CAA Director Rayhan Wanniappa told Reuters.

Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows SriLankan Airlines started operating some of its A330-300 services from Colombo International to Melbourne Tullamarine and Tokyo Narita with additional stops on both legs at either Chennai or Thiruvananthapuram airports. Emirates and Singapore Airlines have confirmed they have started tankering fuel on the outbound legs to Colombo to avoid refuelling in Sri Lanka. The Indian Oil Corporation has since registered a spike in demand for Jet A1 in the south of the country and has therefore increased supplies to airports there. Despite the inconvenience, the mitigatory measures have allowed airlines to maintain their full schedule to Sri Lanka for the time being.

The fuel shortages are part of a crippling economic crisis in Sri Lanka, which led to the country defaulting on its debts in mid-May 2022. Aside from imports from India, the new government is trying to alleviate the crisis and recently purchased 90,000-tonnes of Russian crude for USD72.6 million to be used to restart of the country's only refinery at Sapugaskanda, which has been shuttered since March 25.