Flight delays worsen across Nigeria over aviation fuel scarcity

Flight delays and cancellations across airports in Nigeria have continued to worsen over aviation fuel scarcity.

The Airline Operators of Nigeria, (AON) last week said that aviation fuel (JetA1) costs above N410 in Lagos, N422 in Abuja and Port Harcourt, and N429 in Kano per litre and has continued to rise fast and steadily.

They hinted that on top of the continuous rise in the fuel price, fuel supply is at best epileptic at several airports thereby causing delays, adding that supply nationally is at best unpredictable and several times a day, airlines are standing, waiting for fuel to be supplied at airports across the country.

Kingsley Ezenwa, media and communications manager, Dana Air confirmed that aviation fuel scarcity is creeping in gradually.

“I am at the airport. Aviation fuel is scarce, driving up ticket prices and causing delays; affecting both scheduled and private jet flights,” a passenger had told BusinessDay on Wednesday.

Obiora Okonkwo, Chairman of United Nigeria Airline, said aviation fuel constitutes 40 percent of airline’s operating costs, and has continued to eat deep into revenues of airlines that barely struggle to stay afloat.

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Okonkwo predicted that Jet A1 cost might even rise to N500 per litre before March 2022 and this will definitely force airlines to adjust the ticket price to meet up with cost demands.

Already airlines have increased economy flight tickets for domestic routes from about N30,000 to a base fare of N50,000 and above.

According to AON, while flight delays and cancellations occur all over the world, it is instructive to note that in Nigeria, 80 percent of the causes of delays and cancellations are due to factors that are neither in the control of airlines nor caused by them.

They had listed other reasons for the incessant flight delays in Nigeria to include weather, inadequate aircraft parking space due to congested Aprons, restrictions caused by sunset airports, delays due to VIP movement, frequent bird strikes and Foreign Object Damage (FOD), unavailability of forex for spare parts and maintenance and delays from customs in clearing of safety critical spare parts amongst others.