A plane moves toward the runway at the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California, the United States, on April 24, 2026. California, the largest state economy in the United States, has seen its jet fuel stock nosedive by more than 25 percent from last year’s peak to a level not seen since 2023 as war in the Middle East disrupts global oil supplies. Based on data from the California Energy Commission, the state’s jet fuel stock was 2.6 million barrels last week, down from a peak of more than 3.5 million barrels last year, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday, citing government data. (Photo by Qiu Chen/Xinhua)
LOS ANGELES, April 24 (Xinhua) — California, the largest state economy in the United States, has seen its jet fuel stock nosedive by more than 25 percent from last year’s peak to a level not seen since 2023 as war in the Middle East disrupts global oil supplies.
Based on data from the California Energy Commission, the state’s jet fuel stock was 2.6 million barrels last week, down from a peak of more than 3.5 million barrels last year, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday, citing government data.
California refines much of its own fuel but still relies on crude oil imports. The state has the capacity to refine around 200,000 barrels of jet fuel per day. In 2025, 61 percent of crude oil supply to California’s refineries came from foreign sources, while around 23 percent came from inside the state, down from 35 percent five years ago, according to the report.
The supply is shrinking as a global shortage is affecting travelers’ summer plans with canceled flights and higher fares. It could even affect plans for people coming to Los Angeles for the 2026 World Cup, which starts in June, Mike Duignan, a professor at Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne University, told the newspaper.
California’s relative isolation from the national pipeline network makes it particularly vulnerable to fuel shortages.
The war in the Middle East is straining global energy supplies and sending ripple effects throughout the economy. Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, warned last week that Europe may have only about six weeks of jet fuel remaining if current supply disruptions persist. ■
A plane flies over the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California, the United States, on April 24, 2026. California, the largest state economy in the United States, has seen its jet fuel stock nosedive by more than 25 percent from last year’s peak to a level not seen since 2023 as war in the Middle East disrupts global oil supplies.
Based on data from the California Energy Commission, the state’s jet fuel stock was 2.6 million barrels last week, down from a peak of more than 3.5 million barrels last year, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday, citing government data. (Photo by Qiu Chen/Xinhua)
Workers fill up a jet fuel truck tank at a jet fuel station at the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California, the United States, on April 24, 2026. California, the largest state economy in the United States, has seen its jet fuel stock nosedive by more than 25 percent from last year’s peak to a level not seen since 2023 as war in the Middle East disrupts global oil supplies.
Based on data from the California Energy Commission, the state’s jet fuel stock was 2.6 million barrels last week, down from a peak of more than 3.5 million barrels last year, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday, citing government data. (Photo by Qiu Chen/Xinhua)
A jet fuel truck is seen at a jet fuel station at the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California, the United States, on April 24, 2026. California, the largest state economy in the United States, has seen its jet fuel stock nosedive by more than 25 percent from last year’s peak to a level not seen since 2023 as war in the Middle East disrupts global oil supplies.
Based on data from the California Energy Commission, the state’s jet fuel stock was 2.6 million barrels last week, down from a peak of more than 3.5 million barrels last year, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday, citing government data. (Photo by Qiu Chen/Xinhua)
