By Kingsley Amen
ABUJA — Fresh fears have gripped Nigeria’s aviation sector as negotiations between the Federal Government, airline operators, and fuel marketers over the escalating cost of aviation fuel ended without a resolution, raising the spectre of flight disruptions and higher ticket fares.
The 48-hour talks, which concluded on Thursday, failed to break the deadlock despite a 30 per cent debt relief approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to cushion the financial strain on airlines.
The concession, described by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo as an emergency measure rather than a subsidy, applies to debts owed to regulatory agencies such as the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency.
Industry players, however, insist the intervention falls short of addressing the deepening crisis triggered by a nearly 300 per cent surge in jet fuel prices.
Operators have warned that unless urgent and more comprehensive measures are introduced, airfares may rise sharply or flight operations could be suspended altogether.
Addressing journalists after a closed-door meeting in Abuja, Keyamo disclosed that stakeholders including airlines, oil marketers, regulators, and government officials have agreed to set up technical “focal teams” to work out a sustainable pricing framework.
“The focal teams will immediately engage to arrive at fair and reasonable pricing,” he said, adding that the outcome of the engagement would be made public within 72 hours.
He acknowledged that the rising cost of aviation fuel and other operational expenses has pushed operators to the brink.
Echoing the urgency, Vice President of the Airline Operators of Nigeria, Allen Onyema, warned that the industry is nearing a breaking point.
“No airline can continue under these conditions. The cost of fuel alone is overwhelming operations,” Onyema said, cautioning that a shutdown could occur within days if the situation is not urgently addressed.
While commending the Federal Government’s engagement, he stressed that without additional relief measures within the next seven days, operators may be forced to halt services.
On his part, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Saidu Aliyu Mohammed, assured that efforts are ongoing to review pricing mechanisms in a bid to strike a balance between fuel supply stability and airline sustainability.
With the next round of negotiations expected to be decisive, stakeholders warn that the outcome will determine whether the sector can avert a shutdown or brace for a fresh wave of fare hikes.
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