Unuevbo TV
"This Is Our Final Plea": Nigerian Airlines Threaten Nationwide Shutdown as Jet Fuel Hits ₦3,300, Talks Deadlocked
Nigeria's aviation sector is teetering on the brink of its most severe disruption in decades. The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), the umbrella body representing domestic carriers, has issued a stark warning that all flight operations could be grounded within days after high-stakes negotiations with the Federal Government over the spiralling cost of Jet A1 aviation fuel ended in deadlock. The crisis has already forced at least one airline to suspend operations, and the ripple effects threaten to strand millions of passengers, disrupt commerce, and destabilise an industry still recovering from years of economic headwinds.
What began as a simmering cost-of-business complaint has erupted into a full-blown national emergency, with fuel prices surging by over 300% in a matter of weeks — from approximately ₦900 per litre on February 28, 2026, to as high as ₦3,300 per litre by mid-April. The AON has described the increase as "astronomical and unsustainable," accusing fuel marketers of artificial inflation and market exploitation tied to disruptions in the Middle East.
"This Is Our Final Plea": The Shutdown Ultimatum
In a letter dated April 14, 2026, and addressed to the Executive Secretary of the Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN), Clement Isong, AON President Abdulmunaf Sarina laid out the existential threat facing the industry. "The actions of fuel marketers are effectively decimating the aviation industry and putting the country's economy, safety, and security at risk," Sarina stated. "Therefore, we hereby give notice that if the current trend persists, all the airlines in Nigeria will be forced to suspend operations with effect from Monday, April 20, 2026. This is our final plea."
The letter, which was copied to President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo, the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and the Department of State Services (DSS), painted a grim picture of an industry haemorrhaging cash. The AON revealed that at least one domestic carrier — later identified as United Nigeria Airlines — had already been forced to ground its entire fleet on March 13, 2026, due to the fuel cost crisis.
The core economic argument at the heart of the operators' complaint is that the 300% domestic fuel price surge has massively outpaced the 30% rise in global crude oil benchmarks since the outbreak of the US-Israel-Iran war on February 28, 2026, suggesting that local marketers are profiteering rather than simply passing on higher import costs. "If we price our tickets to reflect the current price of aviation fuel, we will be flying empty planes," the AON warned. "If the airlines go out of business, banks will take a hit, millions of people will lose their means of livelihood, and insecurity will be on the rise."
Government Intervention: Keyamo Appeals, Shutdown Temporarily Shelved
The Federal Government moved swiftly to avert the unprecedented grounding. In a letter dated April 16, Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo acknowledged the "crippling" pressure on carriers but warned that any shutdown or sharp fare hike would carry "far-reaching adverse implications for the national economy." He urged airlines to "exercise restraint with respect to any proposed increase in airfares," arguing that an immediate upward adjustment would "impose significant hardship on the travelling public, potentially depress demand, and limit accessibility to air transport."
Keyamo's intervention succeeded in temporarily defusing the crisis. At an emergency meeting on April 17, the AON announced it was calling off the planned April 20 shutdown — albeit on what it described as a "concessionary but conditional" basis. "The Exco would like to state unequivocally that the planned shutdown action scheduled for Monday, April 20, 2026, is hereby called off, albeit temporarily, pending the outcome of the meeting called by the Honourable Minister," the association said in a communiqué.
The centrepiece of the government's strategy was a high-level emergency stakeholders' meeting scheduled for April 22 in Abuja, bringing together airline operators, fuel marketers, regulators, and ministry officials to seek a "prompt, practical, and sustainable resolution."
Tinubu's 30% Debt Relief: A Welcome Gesture, but Not Nearly Enough
Midway through the negotiations, President Bola Tinubu announced a 30% discount on statutory debts owed by domestic airlines to aviation agencies — including the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA). The relief covers accumulated parking fees, navigational charges, and other regulatory obligations that have burdened carriers for years. Minister Keyamo described the move as "emergency relief intended to cushion operational pressures on domestic carriers" rather than a subsidy.
But airline operators were quick to insist that the measure, while appreciated, is insufficient to prevent a looming crisis. "No airline can continue under these conditions. The cost of fuel alone is overwhelming operations," Air Peace Chairman and AON Vice President Allen Onyema declared, warning that operators had "stretched beyond sustainable limits" and could be forced to shut down within days without further intervention. The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), while commending the President's intervention, noted that the relief does not address the deeper problem: multiple taxes from NCAA, FAAN, and NAMA that continue to burden the industry.
Deadlocked: 48 Hours of Negotiations End Without Resolution
The high-stakes meeting of April 22 failed to deliver the breakthrough that passengers and industry stakeholders had been praying for. After four hours of closed-door discussions — and a further 48 hours of follow-up negotiations involving airline operators, oil marketers, regulators, and ministry officials — the talks ended without a final resolution. Strong indications emerged on April 24 that airline operators may be forced to increase airfares or suspend operations entirely within days.
The sole concrete outcome was an agreement to establish technical "focal teams" to work out a sustainable pricing framework, with Keyamo promising a public update within 72 hours. "The focal teams will immediately engage to arrive at fair and reasonable pricing," he said. Meanwhile, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) assured that efforts were ongoing to review pricing templates and balance fuel supply realities with airline survival. The regulator also contested the AON's claims of ₦3,300 per litre pricing, stating that its own nationwide survey showed prices ranging between ₦1,960 and ₦2,800 per litre, and noting that the ex-gantry price at the Dangote Refinery was ₦1,879 per litre — close to the international indicative supply cost for Lagos.
Onyema, however, was unequivocal about the stakes: "Operators have already stretched beyond sustainable limits. Further relief within seven days is critical to preventing a shutdown."
Conclusion: A Crisis Without a Quick Fix
The aviation fuel crisis gripping Nigeria is a multi-layered problem that defies quick resolution. The 300% price surge is inextricably linked to the Iran war's disruption of global energy markets, while domestic supply bottlenecks, currency volatility, and the structural absence of local refining capacity make Nigeria acutely vulnerable to external shocks.
The 30% debt waiver offers airlines some immediate relief, but it does not address the root problem: fuel costs consuming over 40% of airline revenues with no end in sight. As the seven-day ultimatum ticks down, the question is no longer whether the industry can avoid pain — it is how severe that pain will be. For millions of Nigerian travellers, businesses relying on cargo flights, and workers employed across the aviation value chain, the answer will determine whether the skies remain open or fall silent.
Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more in-depth reporting on Nigeria's aviation industry and economic developments.
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.