Domestic flights across Nigeria may be suspended from April 20 as airlines struggle to cope with a steep hike in aviation fuel prices, the Airline Operators of Nigeria has warned.
In a notice issued Wednesday in Lagos, AON President, Dr Abdulmunaf Yunusa Sarina said the price of Jet A1 had jumped to N3,300 per litre, up from N900 in February. That’s a 300% increase in two months.
Sarina argued that the spike did not track global crude oil trends, which showed only about a 30% rise in the same period.
He accused marketers of driving the surge and putting the entire aviation sector at risk.
For the past four weeks, he said, airlines had kept flying at a loss “out of a sense of responsibility to the nation.” But that is no longer sustainable.
AON explained that it had suffered Revenue shortfall, pointing out that current ticket sales no longer covered fuel costs alone, let alone other daily operating expenses.
It stated that casualty already had already been recorded as one airline has been grounded since March 13 due to fuel costs.
It warned that a bigger fallout was looming. It said that raising fares to match fuel prices would shrink passenger numbers.
Analysts expressed concerns that a full shutdown would hit jobs, banks with aviation exposure, and national security.
“Airlines can no longer sustain purchases at the current rates,” Sarina said.
“We urge marketers to adjust jet fuel prices in line with international market realities.”
The notice was sent to the Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria, with copies to President Bola Tinubu, Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo, and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, among others.
If no action is taken, Nigeria’s airspace could see a mass grounding of domestic flights in less than a week.
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