Local airlines under the aegis of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), have suspended their threat to shut down flight operations over the outrageous increase in the price of Jet – A1 fuel.
AON Vice President Mr. Allen Onyema revealed this in a telephone interview with the Nigerian News Agency (NAN) on Friday in Lagos.
NAN recalls that on March 15, AON had threatened to close its operations on Friday March 18 if the government could not find a lasting solution for marketers to reduce the price of the JET-A1.
Onyema, president of Air Peace, told NAN that the airlines collectively agreed to suspend the shutdown to avoid further disruption to economic activities considering the key role air transport plays in the logistics mix.
“We are not going to shut down flight operations because there are ongoing discussions between us and the relevant players in the oil and gas value chain to find a lasting solution to the problem.
“We are negatively affected by the rising price of jet fuel, but as patriotic investors we will not take any action that would cripple the economy.
“As patriotic Nigerians and investors, we will continue to engage the government and its agencies to get out of this mess,” he said.
Onyema pointed out that the decision made by the local carriers was a patriotic contribution to the administration of President Muhamadu Buhari.
According to him, the administration is currently using all instruments to involve stakeholders in the air transport and oil and gas sectors to seek a permanent solution to the price hike.
The president of Air Peace recalled that the Buhari-led administration had greatly contributed to the development of airline operations in the country.
“Since the Buhari administration came on board, it has shown enough commitment to improve the aviation industry.
“The president signed an Executive Order that granted exemptions to aircraft and their parts and other interventions, the least we can do is continue to participate until the challenges in the sector are resolved,” said Onyema.
He said the association viewed the precarious situation of aviation fuel shortages and rising prices as a development that could be exploited for political capital by actors in the governance space.
However, Onyema said the price increase was stifling local airlines to continue operating flights under a regime of rising costs, as they spend more than millions of naira to fill a plane with aviation fuel.
He said airline operators were currently considering reducing the number of flight frequencies to minimize the cost of operations.
Onyema said local airlines were not considering any further increase in airfares so as not to exclude ordinary Nigerians who want to travel by air.
The NAN correspondent who monitored terminal activities at Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal II (MMA2) and General Aviation Terminal (GAT), reports that airlines are working and passengers are also boarding.