Olushola Omogbehin
Following the cry of airline operators over what they described as unbearable and unsustainable aviation fuel prices, domestic airlines in Nigeria may stop operations from April 30, 2026.
Operators said they would be left with no option but stop operation by Thursday as a result of failed engagement with both Federal Government and oil marketers over the rise in aviation fuel.
Recently, the price of Jet A1 surge by over 300 per cent compared to February levels, pushing operating costs to the brink.
This has made the fate of passengers who rely on domestic flights for business and urgent travel uncertain.
Addressing this, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, convened a meeting with airline operators and fuel marketers in Abuja last week.
But according to findings, the meeting ended with operators unwilling to shift their stance unless decisive action is taken.
In his effort to ease the burden of operators in the sector, Keyamo after the meeting announced a 30 per cent reduction in aviation-related taxes, but operators maintained that the minister’s action did not address the cause of the problem.
Addressing the gathering, Vice President of the Airline Operators of Nigeria, Allen Onyema, said that fuel marketers must account for the sharp rise in prices.
“This government has helped the industry more than anyone since 1999, and the President is even willing to waive 30 per cent of the debts airlines are owing.
“But the truth is that the marketers must be brought to book to explain how they came about the 300 per cent increase when even Dangote is surprised because what he is selling to us is still the cheapest,” he said.
Onyema therefore said, “Since the advent of the US-Iran war, there has been a spike in aviation fuel in Nigeria, which we, the Airline Operators of Nigeria, feel is not proportionate to the hike internationally.
“We expect that in the next 48 hours something drastic should be done because no airline will fly in this country in the next seven days if nothing is done, not because they don’t want to fly, but because fuel may not be available to us at sustainable pricing.
“Before the crisis, we were buying fuel at about N900 per litre. Now it has risen to between N2,700 and N2,900, with some selling as high as N3,300 to N3,500.”
