Nigeria’s aviation minister has issued an emergency appeal to domestic airlines to abandon plans to ground their fleets, as the cost of aviation fuel hits a record high.

The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) had threatened to suspend all domestic flights starting next week, citing an “unbearable” spike in the price of Jet A1 fuel. According to industry data, prices have surged from ₦900 per litre in late February to ₦3,300 ($2.40) today—a staggering 300% increase in just six weeks.

In a formal letter sent late on Thursday, Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo urged the carriers to show “restraint,” warning that a mass grounding would paralyze national logistics and deal a heavy blow to the country’s fragile economic recovery.

‘Critical National Asset’

The minister’s intervention comes at a time when Nigeria is grappling with high inflation and a volatile currency. Mr. Keyamo argued that under the Civil Aviation Act 2022, the sector is a “critical national asset” essential for trade and security.

The Minister’s Triple Appeal:

• No Flight Suspensions: An appeal to keep aircraft in the sky to avoid “far-reaching adverse implications” for the economy.
• Fare Freeze: A request for airlines to hold off on further ticket price hikes to avoid “significant hardship” on the travelling public.
• Government Intervention: An assurance that the presidency has been briefed and is seeking “immediate steps” to subsidise or stabilise fuel costs.

Analysis: A Sector at Breaking Point

For Nigeria’s middle class, air travel is often the only safe way to traverse a country plagued by insecurity on its highways. However, the aviation sector has become a primary casualty of the country’s current foreign exchange crisis and the global rise in energy costs.

Airlines argue they are “flying at a loss,” with one operator saying that ticket prices would need to triple just to break even. While Minister Keyamo is promising a “sustainable resolution,” the government’s options are limited. With the treasury already stretched, a direct subsidy for jet fuel seems unlikely. Instead, the focus may shift to tax waivers or easier access to foreign exchange—concessions the airlines say are “too little, too late” to keep their engines running.

Emergency Summit in Abuja

In a bid to stave off the Monday shutdown, the government has summoned airline bosses, fuel importers, and regulatory authorities to a high-level emergency meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, 22 April.

“We shall take immediate steps to address the issues,” Mr. Keyamo wrote, describing the scheduled summit as a “prompt and practical” path forward.

However, with the threatened strike set to begin before that meeting takes place, travelers in Lagos and Abuja are already facing uncertainty. If a deal is not reached by the weekend, millions of Nigerians could find themselves grounded in what is becoming the most significant crisis to hit the nation’s airspace in a decade.