Nigerian airlines will suspend operations on Monday “until further notice” due to soaring jet fuel prices, the Air Operators Association of Nigeria (AON) has announced.
Since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia at the end of February and the sanctions imposed in the wake of Moscow, world oil prices have soared, causing soaring fuel prices in many countries.
The price of JetA1 type kerosene “has risen from 190 naira (43 cents) to 700 naira (1.60 euros) per liter. No airline in the world can absorb (…) such an astronomical sudden increase in a short period “, the AON said in a statement on Friday.
Thus, according to the AON, a plane ticket for a one-hour domestic flight currently costs an average of 270 euros, a colossal price for travelers “who are already experiencing many difficulties”.
“This is why (…) the airlines will cease their operations throughout the country from Monday, May 9, 2022 until further notice,” she continued.
Faced with this situation, the Ministry of Aviation has called on air operators, “even in this difficult situation”, “to consider the multiplier effect of stopping their operations on Nigerians and travelers around the world”.
The ministry, which recalls in its press release published on Saturday that the supply of fuel is not its responsibility, refers to “efforts made to calm the situation”.
For its part, the Nigerian Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) said on Saturday that it was making efforts to find an “acceptable arrangement” with the main fuel traders.
The FCCPC also expressed “concern” over the backlash from many Nigerians “that airlines have continued to sell tickets beyond the announced date”.
On social media, many Nigerian netizens expressed their anger, sometimes ironically, following the AON announcement urged travelers to “find alternatives”.
“I hope you can walk from Lagos to Abuja”, the economic and federal capitals of the country more than 500 kilometers from each other, for example launched on Saturday on Twitter @firstladyship, an account followed by more than 110,000 followers.
