The Brazilian state-owned airport operator (Infraero) has said that the ongoing nationwide strike by truck drivers has caused major disruptions to fuel supplies at airports across the country, with as many as eight left without stock as of May 28, 2018, Xinhua has reported.
According to Infraero, the affected airports are São José dos Campos Professor Urbano Ernesto Stumpf, Uberlândia Cesar Bombonato, Ilheus, Campina Grande Joao Suassuna, Juazeiro do Norte, Aracaju, João Pessoa Castro Pinto International, and Teresina.
During the first week of the strike, which started on May 21, several major airports ran out of fuel, including São Paulo Congonhas, Palmas Tocantins, Recife, and Maceió Zumbi dos Palmares. The airfield serving in the capital, Brasília Juscelino Kubitschek International, which is operated by a private concessionaire, has also enforced schedule cuts due to the lack of fuel. The military has been deployed to escort trucks supplying fuel to all major airports.
The truck drivers are protesting a recent hike in diesel prices. Their blockades have also caused significant disruption to other supply chains, including the delivery of food and other basic necessities to retail outlets.
The first week of the strike alone has caused losses of around BRL10.8 billion reals (USD2.9 billion) to the Brazilian economy. President Michel Temer announced several measures intended to end the strike on May 27, including temporarily cutting the price of diesel and reducing charges for empty lorries on tollways, but these steps have so far failed to end the industrial action.
