Olympic Pipeline Partially Restarts Service After Fuel Leak Shutdown

Sea-Tac and Portland airports can resume normal operations as the 16-inch line flows, but repair on the 20-inch line continues.

Meg Godlewski

Tuesday, November 25, 2025 at 04:45 PM ET

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Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

Repair crews have located the leak in the Olympic Pipeline in Washington state, with the 16-inch segment now operational, allowing Seattle-Tacoma and Portland International airports to largely return to normal fuel operations after relying on alternative supply methods.
While the 16-inch segment is restarted, the 20-inch segment still requires repair, and this incident comes shortly after the pipeline operator was fined $3.8 million for a separate 2023 fuel spill.

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Repair crews in Washington state have found the location of the leak in the Olympic Pipeline—and it is flowing again.

That’s good news for the airlines operating out of Seattle-Tacoma International (KSEA) and Portland International (KPDX) airports. Since the discovery of the leak and the subsequent shutdown of the pipes, the facilities have relied on tankering in fuel or adjusting the routes to allow for refueling stops.