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

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

Repair crews have located a leak in the Olympic Pipeline, and its 16-inch segment, vital for supplying jet fuel to Seattle-Tacoma and Portland airports, has been restarted.
Airlines like Alaska and Delta are returning to normal operations, discontinuing fuel stops and route adjustments previously made due to the pipeline shutdown.
While the 16-inch segment is flowing, the 20-inch segment of the pipeline still has a confirmed leak, with repair plans and a restart timeline pending.
This incident follows a recent $3.8 million fine against Olympic Pipeline Company and BP Pipelines for a 2023 spill of 21,000 gallons, which was caused by a corroded nut and significantly impacted the environment.

See a mistake? Contact us.

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.