The increase in the cost of Aviation Turbine Kerosene, also known as aviation fuel, has resulted in over-crowded airports, as airlines reschedule and cancel flights within short notice, leaving passengers stranded.
The development came as the House of Representatives on Monday continued its intervention in the aviation fuel crisis, as the Federal Government, airline operators and oil marketers agreed to peg the price of the commodity at N500/litre pending the resolution of the rising price crisis of the commodity.
The current price of aviation fuel is N670/litre and this cost has led to a crisis in the sector such as flight delays and cancellations due to the inability of airlines to easily access the commodity at that cost.
At the second investigative hearing by the House held in Abuja, domestic airlines under the Airline Operators of Nigeria disclosed that at the current price of N670/litre, a seat in the economy class should go for about N120,000.
They also threatened to suspend flight operations in the next three days (by Thursday), arguing that airlines could not continue to subsidise flights any longer.
Meanwhile, findings by our correspondents revealed on Monday that several passengers had spent nights at airports due to delayed and outright cancellation of flights by airlines over lack of aviation fuel.
Our correspondents gathered that some passengers of Dana Air and Aero Contractors slept at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Sunday night after their flights were delayed for several hours.
“Some of us had to sleep at the Abuja airport because we landed around 1am on Monday, after our 7.30pm Sunday flight from Lagos was delayed for several hours till close to 12midnight before taking off,” a passenger of Aero Contractors, who simply gave his name as Okey, stated.
The passenger said the airline claimed that the cost of aviation fuel had made it tough for operators to access the commodity and that the issue warranted flight delays and cancellations.
Another passenger of Dana Air, who identified himself as Stanley, also slept at the Abuja airport after his flight from Lagos was delayed for more than six hours due to the challenge of aviation fuel.
“You need to see the rancour at the departure lounge in Lagos by passengers who crowded the lounge due to delayed and rescheduled flights,” he stated on Monday in Abuja.
For about two weeks, airlines and travellers in Nigeria had been faced with hectic aviation activities. Operators in the sector had blamed this on the hike in aviation fuel, while marketers, on the other hand, insisted that the commodity was available.
Marketers attributed the hike in the price of aviation fuel to the rising cost of crude oil in the international market, as they noted that the commodity had been deregulated.
Airlines had been unable to cope with the cost of the commodity, as aviation fuel price rose from N200/litre about three weeks ago to between N590 and N607/litre last week.
It was learnt that virtually all domestic airlines at the Lagos airport announced an indefinite rescheduling of their morning flights, a development that left many passengers stranded across airports in Nigeria.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority had on Thursday said it might be forced to ground some aeroplanes over the inability of local airlines to maintain them due to the rising cost of JetA1, also called aviation fuel.
The authority stated that the hike in aviation fuel price had led to a spike in the cost of the operations of airlines.
This came as the Airline Operators of Nigeria stated that with the price of aviation fuel increasing from N190 to N670/litre, they might be forced to suspend flights nationwide.
The flight disruptions on Monday made many passengers at various airports to make alternative arrangements, either to travel by road or halt their trips.
They decried the crisis in the aviation sector and urged the government to intervene considering the significance of the industry to the country’s economy.
