Airline operators in Nigeria have threatened to suspend operations effective from Thursday this week due to surging aviation fuel (Jet A1) prices, describing the ugly situation as unbearable and unsustainable.
Available market data indicated that prices of aviation fuel had risen from about N900 per litre in February 2026 to between N2,700 and N3,500 per litre now, representing an increase of over 300% within a short period.
According to the operators, the surge in the Jet A1 prices has wiped out their profit margins, with many carriers now flying primarily to cover fuel expenses rather than generate revenue.
In view of the worrisome development, the operators under the aegis of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) have warned that they may ground all flights if urgent intervention is not made by the government.
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The seven-day warning by the operators came after the operators’ engagement with the Federal Government and fuel marketers did not yield the desired results.
Before now, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Barr. Festus Keyamo, had convened emergency meetings between airlines and fuel marketers following which the government approved relief measures, including debt concessions for airlines.
Specifically, in an effort to avert the shutdown, the Minister convened a two-day tripartite meeting in Abuja involving airlines and fuel marketers during which government offered a 30% reduction in aviation-related taxes.
However, the airline operators acknowledged the gesture but rejected it as insufficient thereby ending the meeting in a deadlock, with no agreement on fuel pricing.
