Nigeria’s large airline operators have called off earlier threats to stop domestic flights from this Monday due to the rise in jet fuel prices, according to the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON).
In a statement issued on Friday, the AON, which represents nine of the country’s domestic carriers, said that the cost of imported jet fuel had increased nearly fourfold due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The statement was seen by BBC News and Reuters and widely circulated on social media.
As a result, airline operating costs had risen from about 40% to nearly 95%, and operators had already subsidized their services to passengers over the past four months, the AON said.
According to AON President Dr Abudul Yunusa Sarina, no airline can absorb this kind of sudden shock from such an astronomical rise over a short period.
AON said that its airline members had previously engaged with the Nigerian government, its state-owned oil company, and fuel marketers to bring down the cost of jet fuel.
It said the cost cannot be passed on to passengers as it was “unsustainable” for airlines who can “no longer absorb the pressure,” per the statement.
One signatory to the statement, Azman Air, confirmed on Twitter that it plans to suspend domestic flights from Monday until further notice. Similarly, United Nigeria Airlines appeared to make a statement by posting a screenshot of the news to its own Twitter account.
However, at least one airline is not on board with this plan. Ibom Air, which flies to seven cities in Nigeria, is listed as a signatory on the statement. But it said on Saturday it would not halt its domestic flights from Monday as such a move would affect revenues and impact its commitments to suppliers and financiers, per a Reuters report.
Nigeria’s competition watchdog – the Federal Competition & Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) – urged the AON to reconsider its plans, saying in a statement posted on Saturday on its Twitter account that they could create a “magnitude of difficulties” for passengers.
It also appeared to warn airlines not to sell tickets for flights it does not plan to go ahead with.
“The Commission is concerned with rising consumer feedback that airlines have continued to sell tickets beyond the date announced for proposed service shutdown,” FCCPC chief executive said in the statement.
“It will be egregious exploitation of consumers and a violation of law to purport to sell a service that the service provider knows it will not, or does not intend to provide or deliver,” it added.
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