Airline passengers will be seeing more flight delays and cancellations in the coming days following the closures of Runway 18L, a spike in aviation fuel aka Jet A1, and suspension of aero contractors and Dana airlines.
The Airlines Operators of Nigeria -AON has also called on the Federal Aviation Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, to intervene in the situation, and has reported that the development would be frustrating.
This development is coming as the cost of Jet A1 nears N900 per liter in the market, a rise of 346 percent, when compared to the N200 per liter sold in February 2022.
For example, a survey by Aviation World showed that Jet A1 in Lagos sells for 822 naira per liter while in Abuja the product sells for 859 naira. In Port Harcourt, the Jet fuel sells for 852 naira per liter while it sells for 890 naira and 892 naira in Yola and Maiduguri respectively.
A breakdown of how the situation would lead to delays and cancellation of flights showed that Jet fuel accounts for almost 40 percent of total operational expenses made by airline operators and the closure of the main domestic runway of Murtala Mohammad Airport, MMA, automatically add an extra 15 percent fuel costs per trip in and out of MMA.
However, the President of Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative, ASRTI, Dr. Gabriel Olowo in a chat with Aviation World, cautioned airlines to sell tickets at the rate that would be commensurate with the amount they buy Jet A1, stressing that a price increase is better than negotiating safety by cutting corners.
