Nigerian airlines, under the aegis of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), say there will be major disruptions of flights due to scarcity of aviation fuel, also known as JET-A1. 

Obiora Okonkwo, spokesperson, AON, said this in a statement released on Friday.

This is the second announcement on the disruption of services over the scarcity of aviation fuel in three months.

In May, AON said the scarcity of fuel negatively impacted the seamless conduct of air transport operations and “would lead to flight rescheduling, and, or, cancellations”.

According to the statement, the current situation would lead to cancellations and prolonged delays across all airports in the country.

“This is to notify members of the public, especially, consumers of air transport services in the country, that the aviation sector has been hit by a major crisis with the acute scarcity of aviation fuel otherwise known as Jet-A1,” the statement reads.

“For this reason, there will be major disruptions in scheduled flight operations, including cancellations and unnecessary delays across all airports in the country.

“This is a foreseen but unintended consequence of the aviation fuel scarcity in the country.”

The operators, therefore, pleaded for the understanding of the travelling public “to bear with our members as efforts are currently being made to address the development and restore normal flight operations”.

AON added that “it is committed to rendering seamless and uninterrupted air transport service across the country”.

Due to the hike in global oil prices caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine, the cost of importation of petroleum products has surged, leading to scarcity and high fuel prices.

In May, it planned to suspend operations — but shelved it after intervention by the house of representatives.

In June, Allen Onyema, AON’s vice-president, said at least three domestic airlines were on the verge of shutting down operations due to the soaring price of the commodity.

The Cable