Alkagesta jet fuel supply deal opens access to NATO pipeline

Alkagesta jet fuel supply operations are set to expand into north-western Europe after the commodities trader secured commercial access to the NATO-operated Central Europe Pipeline System (CEPS). The arrangement will enable the Malta-established company to deliver aviation fuel to airports including Brussels and Frankfurt am Main, with supplies expected to begin in spring 2026. The move represents Alkagesta’s first entry into inland jet fuel logistics.

Pipeline access extends aviation logistics reach

CEPS covers about 5,300 km and links airports, refineries and ports across north-western Europe. Established in the late 1950s, the network was designed to move petroleum products between NATO member countries and continues to supply military aircraft and vehicles. It also carries substantial commercial volumes for civil aviation, with non-military use accounting for around 90% of its activity.

Access is limited to approved market participants because of the infrastructure’s strategic role. Prospective users are subject to additional due diligence and other approval requirements before they can transport products through the system. For Alkagesta, the agreement adds pipeline distribution to a logistics portfolio that already includes access to more than 700,000 cubic metres of storage capacity in Europe and Asia.

The fuel supplied under the arrangement will contain a 2% sustainable aviation fuel component, alongside conventional jet fuel. The European Union set a 2% SAF usage target for 2025, and the pipeline capacity will provide airlines at connected airports with another route for obtaining compliant blended product. Alkagesta said the agreement would allow it to supply dozens of carriers across the region.

Trader broadens business beyond marine fuels

Chief executive Orkhan Rustamov described the pipeline agreement as an important stage in Alkagesta’s European development, pointing to the company’s ability to distribute aviation fuel through a strategically important network. The expansion takes the trader beyond its established marine fuel activities in the Mediterranean and follows its entry into Singapore. Alkagesta was founded in Malta in 2018 and trades petroleum, steel products, fertilisers and biofuels as well as jet fuel.

The company has 165 employees across 17 offices and representative locations, operates in 42 countries and handles more than 8mn tonnes of commodities annually. It also works with 28 international banks. The CEPS agreement comes after Poland announced a €5.5bn project late in 2025 to connect with the network, as European governments place greater emphasis on the capacity and geographical reach of strategic fuel infrastructure following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.