Airports Council International Europe has warned that Europe could face jet fuel shortages within weeks if shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is not restored, raising concerns over airport operations and summer travel demand.

In a letter to European commissioners on April 9, ACI Europe said the region relies heavily on Gulf supplies, which account for about half of its jet fuel imports, leaving it vulnerable to prolonged disruption.

Director-general Olivier Jankovec said tightening supplies could disrupt airport operations and connectivity, with wider economic consequences.

He added that unless stable transit through Hormuz resumes within roughly three weeks, widespread shortages across the European Union could emerge.

The warning comes as airports report growing concern over fuel availability ahead of the peak summer season, with smaller hubs particularly exposed.

Carriers are raising fares to counter rising fuel prices

Airlines have already begun adjusting operations, cutting some flights and raising fares as fuel markets tighten.

Benchmark European jet fuel prices surged to a record $1,838 per tonne last week, more than double pre-conflict levels.

ACI Europe urged policymakers to intervene, calling for coordinated fuel purchasing and the temporary easing of import restrictions.

It also said the crisis should accelerate efforts to scale up sustainable aviation fuel, while warning conventional fuel prices may remain elevated over the medium term.

Air transport contributes around EUR851bn annually to Europe’s economy and supports about 14 million jobs, according to ACI Europe.

Rain is expected across parts of the UAE on Sunday, as unsettled weather conditions take hold due to a surface low-pressure system, according to the National Centre of Meteorology.

The weather is forecast to be partly cloudy to cloudy at times, with convective cloud formation bringing a chance of rainfall over scattered areas. Temperatures are set to dip slightly, offering a brief reprieve from recent warmer conditions.

Winds are expected to be light to moderate, becoming fresh to strong at times — particularly with cloud activity — which could raise dust and sand, reducing horizontal visibility in exposed areas.

Wind speeds will range between 15 and 25km/h, with gusts reaching up to 45km/h, blowing from the southeast to northeast.

Sea conditions in the Arabian Gulf are expected to be moderate, turning rough at times with cloud build-up, while the Oman Sea will remain slight to moderate.

Temperatures will vary across the country, with highs of around 26°C in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, rising to 34°C in Fujairah. Overnight lows could drop to 17°C in inland areas such as Al Ain and Ruwais.

Humidity levels are forecast to reach up to 85 per cent in coastal regions, adding to the unsettled conditions.

Authorities typically advise residents to exercise caution during periods of reduced visibility and strong winds, particularly when driving.

The General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs – Dubai (GDRFA Dubai) and Dubai Land Department (DLD) have signed a memorandum of understanding to integrate and streamline real estate-linked residency services, the two government bodies said on Sunday.

The agreement, signed by Lieutenant General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, director-general of GDRFA Dubai, and Omar Hamad Bu Shehab, director-general of DLD, aims to unify efforts and enhance institutional coordination in delivering residency services tied to property ownership.

Under the MoU, three key services — Golden Residency, Retiree Residency and Property Residency — will be transferred and integrated into GDRFA Dubai’s system.

The move is expected to provide customers with a single access point, improving processing speed and overall service efficiency.

The move aims to enhance services linked to the real estate sector

The initiative will also strengthen data exchange and system integration between the two entities, aligning procedures with higher standards of quality and operational readiness.

Al Marri said the agreement reflects GDRFA Dubai’s focus on delivering seamless, customer-centric services within a flexible government framework, while Bu Shehab described it as a milestone in advancing integration across government entities and enhancing services linked to the real estate sector.

The partnership will further support the adoption of digital solutions to improve service delivery, boost investment appeal and reinforce Dubai’s position as a global hub for living and business, in line with the emirate’s Dubai Economic Agenda D33.

Two US Navy destroyers attempted to enter the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, triggering a tense confrontation with Iranian forces at a critical moment in high-level negotiations between Washington and Tehran.

The incident, which took place on Saturday, marked the first known attempt by US warships to transit the strategic waterway since the conflict began in late February, underlining the growing stakes around control of one of the world’s most important energy corridors.

According to accounts of the exchange reported by The Wall Street Journal, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy challenged the US vessels as they approached the strait, where traffic has remained heavily restricted despite a recent ceasefire.

“This is the last warning. This is the last warning,” Iranian forces said over radio to one of the destroyers, according to a recording cited in the report.

A US ship responded: “Passage in accordance with international law. No challenge is intended to you, and I intend to abide by rules of our government’s cease-fire.”

The US Central Command later said the destroyers operated in the Gulf and departed as planned without incident, describing the mission as a signal that Washington does not accept Iran’s control over the strait.

The command added that the operation also marked the start of a broader effort to secure the waterway, including the deployment of underwater drones to detect and clear naval mines.

“We’re now starting the process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz,” US President Donald Trump said in a social media post on Saturday.

Iranian semi-official media, however, offered a different account, saying its forces coordinated their response with negotiators in Islamabad and that the US destroyers turned back after being confronted.

The standoff comes as diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions face mounting pressure. Talks between the US and Iran in Pakistan — the first direct negotiations in more than a decade — ended without a breakthrough, with disagreements over nuclear commitments and control of the strait remaining unresolved.

Read more: US-Iran talks break down in Islamabad, Vance cites nuclear dispute

Iran has continued to restrict access through Hormuz, imposing conditions on passage that have disrupted global shipping and energy flows. Roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply passes through the narrow waterway, making it one of the most critical chokepoints in global trade.

It comes as traffic through the Strait has collapsed, with more than 600 vessels effectively stranded in the Gulf and daily transits down by as much as 90 per cent from normal levels.

Read more: Over 600 ships stranded in Gulf as Strait of Hormuz disruption continues

Talks between the United States and Iran have broken down in Islamabad after 21 hours of negotiations, with US Vice President JD Vance confirming that no agreement was reached.

Speaking on Sunday, Vance said the US delegation would leave Pakistan without a deal, citing Iran’s refusal to accept Washington’s terms — particularly around its nuclear programme.

“The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement, and I think that’s bad news for Iran much more than it’s bad news for the United States of America,” Vance said. “So we go back to the United States having not come to an agreement. We’ve made very clear what our red lines are.”

He added that a central sticking point was securing firm assurances from Iran that it would not pursue nuclear weapons capabilities.

“The simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon and they will not seek the tools that will enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon,” Vance said, describing the issue as a “core goal” of US President Donald Trump.

Vance also indicated that the US had shown flexibility during the negotiations but ultimately could not bridge the gap.

“We just could not get to a situation where the Iranians were willing to accept our terms,” he said, adding: “I think we were quite flexible, we were quite accommodating.”

The vice president said he had been in close contact with Trump throughout the talks, speaking to him “half a dozen times” during the negotiating process.

The high-stakes discussions — the first direct US-Iran talks in more than a decade — were seen as critical to determining the future of a fragile two-week ceasefire, as well as the potential reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route through which around a fifth of the world’s energy supplies pass.

Iran has restricted access to the strait since the conflict began in late February, contributing to volatility in global oil markets and disruption to trade flows.

In a post on X, Iran’s government confirmed that the talks had concluded, but signalled that diplomatic efforts would continue.

“Negotiations will continue despite some remaining differences,” the statement said, adding that technical experts from both sides would exchange documents. No timeline was provided for the next round of discussions.

The breakdown leaves uncertainty over the next phase of diplomacy, with markets and policymakers closely watching whether talks can resume — and whether progress can be made on the nuclear issue that remains at the centre of the dispute.