‘Aviation fuel is scarce’ — Nigerian airlines notify customers of flight disruptions

March 9, 2022 2:28 pm

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Nigerian airlines have informed passengers that they are likely to experience flight disruptions due to the prolonged scarcity of aviation fuel.

With aviation fuel in short supply, its price has increased.

The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), had in February, lamented that the price of aviation fuel, also known as Jet A1, went up to over N400 per litre.

But TheCable understands that the price of the commodity skyrocketed to over N600 per litre on Tuesday.

In a statement on Wednesday, Air Peace said fuel scarcity is affecting its operations.

“Air Peace and other Nigerian airlines have, for a while now, been facing the challenge of jet fuel scarcity,” the statement reads.

“We have pushed so far to minimise the effect of the situation on our esteemed passengers’ travel plans till date.

“But unfortunately, the fuel scarcity is starting to seriously impact our operations as we are likely going to experience flight disruptions today and in the coming days until the situation abates.”

The carrier appealed for the utmost understanding of air passengers, adding that it “regrets possible inconveniences”.

Air Peace also said that it is working tirelessly to minimise the impact on travellers.

Also, Ibom Air, another domestic carrier, said it has no idea of when the present scarcity challenge would be resolved, but added that it is working with fellow airlines and fuel suppliers to find a solution.

“We have encountered a situation today where aviation fuel is scarce & therefore unavailable at almost all our flight destinations,” a statement issued by the airline reads.

“This has significantly impacted our flight schedule today and may do the same tomorrow.

“We sincerely apologise to all our passengers affected by the current situation.”

Recently, Nigerian airlines increased the cost of economy flight tickets for domestic routes from about N35,000 to a base fare of N50,000.

Reacting to the development, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) issued an interim order directing airlines to suspend the airfare hike.