Nigeria’s domestic aviation sector is bracing for a potential shutdown, with airlines warning they may halt operations from Thursday over what they describe as crippling and unsustainable fuel prices.
Industry sources say operators, under the umbrella of the Airline Operators of Nigeria, are preparing to ground flights after failing to reach an agreement with the federal government and fuel marketers, fuelling fears of widespread travel disruption.
The standoff follows a sharp surge in the price of Jet A1 aviation fuel, which operators say has risen by more than 300% since February, pushing costs to breaking point and leaving airlines struggling to remain viable.
Efforts to resolve the crisis appeared to falter last week after the aviation minister, Festus Keyamo, convened a meeting in Abuja involving airlines and fuel suppliers. The talks ended without a breakthrough, despite a government offer to cut aviation-related taxes by 30%.
While operators acknowledged the concession, they insist it does little to address the core issue of spiralling fuel prices.
Speaking during the negotiations, the vice-president of the AON, Allen Onyema, said airlines were being pushed to the brink. He called for greater scrutiny of fuel marketers, questioning the scale of the price increase.
“This government has helped the industry more than anyone since 1999,” he said, but added that suppliers must explain how prices had surged so dramatically. Onyema suggested the hikes appeared disproportionate, even as global oil markets reacted to tensions linked to the US-Iran war.
He warned that airlines could cease operations within days if no urgent intervention is made. “No airline will fly in this country … not because they don’t want to, but because fuel may not be available to us at sustainable pricing,” he said.
According to operators, the price of aviation fuel has jumped from about ₦900 per litre before the crisis to between ₦2,700 and ₦2,900, with some suppliers charging as high as ₦3,500. Airlines say they are now effectively operating just to cover fuel costs, raising concerns about safety and long-term sustainability.
Despite speculation over mounting debts, senior industry officials maintain that airlines remain up to date on payments to key agencies such as the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency.
In a formal appeal to the government dated 21 April and signed by AON president Abdulmunaf Sarina, operators called for a raft of emergency measures, including a six-month suspension of aviation taxes and charges.
They also proposed the introduction of a non-taxable fuel surcharge—common in international aviation—to help offset rising costs, and urged authorities to compel marketers to issue credit notes to airlines affected by what they describe as arbitrary price increases. The group further recommended the creation of a tax reform committee to align industry charges with global standards.
With the deadline looming, uncertainty is spreading among passengers who rely on domestic flights for business and urgent travel. One airline executive, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the threat of a shutdown remained imminent: “If nothing is done, no airline will be flying by Thursday.”
The crisis underscores the fragility of Nigeria’s aviation industry, where operators are increasingly squeezed between volatile fuel costs and structural constraints, leaving the country’s already strained transport network facing yet another disruption.
