A shortage of aviation fuel across Western Canada has left Angel Flight East Kootenay worried about the impact it could have to its service over the long-term.
Angel Flight uses a form of gasoline commercially known as Avgas to power its Cessna 414 that transfers residents from the East Kootenay region to Kelowna for medical treatment, but a supply shortage stemming from Imperial Oil's Strathcona Refinery near Edmonton has left the B.C market dry.
Angel Flight EK president Brent Bidston was informed this week that his supplier in Kelowna did not have any more Avgas to give to his service, giving him no choice but to switch to the reserve supply at the Fairmont airport.
Jetting to Fairmont has added another hour on to the non-profit's flight missions and has cost an extra $100 of fuel per day.
"It's hurting us a little bit financially and putting a bit more load on our volunteers," said Bidston.
"People still have their appointment time in Kelowna that they have to make, so we're having to start our day an hour earlier than we would. All our pilots are volunteers, so it's just making their days longer and potentially earlier," he added.
Bidston said they thankfully haven't had to deny anyone service.
Imperial Oil's public and government affairs manager Keri Scobie released a statement to Black Press Media in an e-mail stating the shortage was due to a 'temporary operational issue' at the Strathcona Refinery that was impacting the company's ability to meet market demand.
She added the company is prioritizing supply of Avgas to customers operating essential services and wildfire fighting efforts across the country, and that the company anticipates a return to regular supply levels in early August.
Bidston said that if the supply issue extends beyond this, the reserve in Fairmont would eventually run out and their service would be in trouble.
"If it keeps up, eventually we will run out of fuel and then that's it. We would be grounded. We sincerely hope that it won't last that long. We really hope it won't be longer than another week or two," he said.
