• Nigerian domestic airlines may suspend operations nationwide from Thursday, April 30, 2026, over soaring aviation fuel prices
• Operators say the price of Jet A1 has risen by more than 300 per cent since February, climbing from about N900 to as much as N3,500 per litre
• Airlines warn the cost spike has made operations unsustainable and could force a nationwide shutdown

Domestic airlines in Nigeria may suspend operations from Thursday, April 30, 2026, as operators warn that the soaring cost of aviation fuel has pushed the sector to the edge of collapse.

The planned shutdown, if carried out, could trigger major travel disruptions nationwide and leave thousands of passengers stranded.

Industry sources say local carriers are preparing to ground flights after talks with the Federal Government and fuel marketers failed to produce a workable solution to the worsening Jet A1 crisis.

Operators say the sharp increase in fuel prices has made continued operations financially unsustainable.

The crisis has been building for weeks as airlines grapple with the rising cost of Jet A1, which they say has jumped by more than 300 per cent since February. The spike has placed severe pressure on operating costs and left airlines struggling to remain afloat.

Passengers who depend on domestic flights for business, urgent travel and logistics are now facing uncertainty as the Thursday deadline approaches.

In an attempt to prevent a shutdown, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, convened a meeting in Abuja last week with airline operators and fuel marketers. But despite two days of talks, both sides failed to reach a consensus.

At the end of the meeting, the minister announced a 30 per cent cut in aviation-related taxes to reduce the burden on operators. While airlines welcomed the gesture, they argued that the relief does not address the core problem, the steep and persistent rise in aviation fuel prices.

Speaking during the first day of discussions, Vice President of the Airline Operators of Nigeria, Allen Onyema, said the government had shown support for the aviation industry but insisted that fuel marketers must explain the dramatic price increase.

Onyema said, “This government has helped the industry more than anyone since 1999, and the President is even willing to waive 30 per cent of the debts airlines are owing.

“But the truth is that the marketers must be brought to book to explain how they came about the 300 per cent increase when even Dangote is surprised because what he is selling to us is still the cheapest.”

At the close of the second day, Onyema issued a fresh warning, giving a seven-day ultimatum from midnight last Thursday for urgent action to be taken.

“Since the advent of the US-Iran war, there has been a spike in aviation fuel in Nigeria, which we, the Airline Operators of Nigeria, feel is not proportionate to the hike internationally.

“We expect that in the next 48 hours something drastic should be done because no airline will fly in this country in the next seven days if nothing is done, not because they don’t want to fly, but because fuel may not be available to us at sustainable pricing.”

He said the cost of aviation fuel had climbed from around N900 per litre before the current crisis to between N2,700 and N2,900 per litre, with some marketers charging as much as N3,500.

“Before the crisis, we were buying fuel at about N900 per litre. Now it has risen to between N2,700 and N2,900, with some selling as high as N3,300 to N3,500,” he said.

According to Onyema, most airlines are now flying primarily to settle fuel bills.

“All the airlines in Nigeria have been flying to pay fuel marketers only, and you don’t want to compromise safety,” he added.

Despite speculation that airlines are behind on payments, senior industry officials say operators have met their obligations to major aviation agencies, including the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency.

The Airline Operators of Nigeria has also formally requested additional government support. In a letter dated April 21 and signed by AON President Abdulmunaf Sarina, the group called for the immediate suspension of aviation taxes, fees and charges for at least six months.

The operators argued that the unprecedented increase in fuel costs threatens airline operations, jobs and the broader stability of the aviation industry.

Among its proposals, the group urged the government to introduce a non-taxable fuel surcharge, a practice commonly used in international aviation to help carriers manage rising operating costs.

The airlines also asked the government to compel oil marketers to issue credit notes to operators affected by what they described as arbitrary and excessive price increases. They further proposed the creation of an industry tax reform committee to review existing charges and align them with global standards.

With the deadline drawing closer, uncertainty continues to hang over Nigeria’s aviation sector.

TUC proposes use of excess crude revenue to tackle rising fuel prices

Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria called on the Federal Government to deploy excess crude oil revenue to subsidise local refineries as part of efforts to ease the burden of rising fuel prices on Nigerians.

The TUC President, Festus Osifo, warned that the price of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) could rise to as high as N2,000 per litre if urgent intervention measures are not implemented.

Osifo attributed the steady increase in fuel prices to a combination of global crude oil volatility and exchange rate instability, both of which have intensified economic hardship for Nigerian workers.