- Climate and transport groups are calling for temporary restrictions on private jets and lower motorway speed limits.
- Campaigners warn Britain could face severe jet fuel shortages and rising petrol prices during the summer travel season.
- The UK government says airlines are not currently reporting fuel shortages but contingency plans remain under review.
Britain’s growing fuel supply fears are reigniting a wider debate over private jets, luxury travel and who should bear the burden of a potential energy crunch this summer.
A coalition of climate and transport organisations, including Greenpeace UK and Transport and Environment, is urging ministers to act early to avoid what campaigners describe as a looming fuel crisis that could disrupt flights and push petrol prices even higher.
Their proposals include temporarily banning private jets, reducing motorway speed limits from 70mph to 60mph and restricting short-haul flights that could be replaced by rail journeys of under six hours.
The groups argue the measures would reduce fuel demand in a controlled way before shortages worsen during the peak summer travel season.
Doug Parr, chief scientist at Greenpeace UK, reportedly said ministers should not “sleepwalk into a crisis” and argued measures targeting luxury and high-emission travel would cause “minimal inconvenience now” compared with more severe disruption later.
The intervention comes as Britain and much of Europe remain heavily exposed to jet fuel supply disruption linked to instability in the Middle East and rising global oil prices.
Luxury travel faces growing scrutiny
At the centre of the debate is whether private aviation should continue operating normally while ordinary travellers face higher ticket prices, possible cancellations and rising fuel costs.
Zack Polanski, co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, backed calls for a temporary private jet ban and reportedly argued that many families save all year for summer holidays while wealthier travellers continue flying privately without restrictions.
Campaign groups say targeting private aviation could also help reduce pressure on fuel supplies more fairly.
According to Greenpeace analysis, banning private jets alongside restrictions on certain short-haul flights and introducing levies on frequent flyers could save nearly one million tonnes of jet fuel annually — roughly 8 per cent of the UK’s yearly jet fuel consumption.
A separate analysis by Greenpeace estimated lowering motorway speed limits by 10mph could reduce road fuel use by around 1.5 per cent, equivalent to nearly half a million tonnes of fuel each year.
Several countries have already introduced emergency fuel-saving measures in response to the wider energy crisis. Pakistan has lowered motorway speed limits, while Laos has encouraged more remote working to reduce fuel demand.
Government resists major restrictions for now
Despite mounting warnings, the UK government says there is currently no immediate evidence of fuel shortages.
A government spokesperson reportedly said UK airlines were not seeing shortages of jet or road fuel and stressed officials were working closely with the aviation sector to maintain summer travel plans.
The government also said it was not planning to lower motorway speed limits at this stage, adding that private aviation still represented only a relatively small share of total fuel consumption.
Even so, ministers acknowledged contingency planning remained ongoing if fuel prioritisation becomes necessary later in the year.
The debate comes as global energy agencies warn the economic fallout from the US-led conflict involving Iran could create longer-term disruption in oil and fuel markets.
Fatih Birol reportedly warned earlier this year that the conflict’s impact on energy markets could rival the oil shocks of the 1970s combined with the disruption caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
For campaigners, the latest fuel concerns are also exposing a broader question around fairness and energy dependence.
Anna Krajinska, UK director at Transport and Environment, reportedly said the crisis highlighted Britain’s continued dependence on “volatile fossil fuels” and argued the long-term solution would require faster investment in electric vehicles and lower-emission transport systems.
But for many travellers watching fuel prices climb ahead of summer holidays, the more immediate debate may simply come down to who gets asked to cut back first — ordinary drivers and holidaymakers, or luxury travellers with private jets.
