Nigerian airlines are facing fresh operational pressure as the rising cost of Jet A1 aviation fuel and alleged debts to fuel marketers trigger disruptions, leaving passengers stranded at airports.
The recent incident occurred at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, where Air Peace passengers travelling to Lagos, Asaba and Maiduguri faced prolonged delays last Friday. Some passengers spent the night at the airport after flights were cancelled.
The episode has exposed a less obvious problem in Nigeria’s aviation sector: the challenge is not simply whether Jet A1 exists, but whether airlines can consistently obtain the product at a price they can afford.
Air Peace acknowledged that the initial Abuja delays resulted from the unavailability of Jet A1, saying the constraint also affected other airlines operating from the airport. The carrier said operations resumed after fuel became available.
However, its Abuja-Maiduguri service encountered another hurdle. Air Peace said the Maiduguri control tower initially granted an extension for the aircraft to arrive but later withdrew it after the airport became subject to Visual Flight Rules and could no longer operate beyond sunset.
The airline said affected passengers were kept informed, given refreshments and, after the cancellation, provided hotel accommodation.
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However, the fuel situation has raised questions beyond the immediate cancellations.
Sources within the fuel market told journalists that some airlines had outstanding bills running into millions of naira, making marketers reluctant to continue supplying them without payment. An airline source separately put the current Jet A1 price at about ₦2,130 per litre in Lagos and Abuja, with prices reaching between ₦2,180 and ₦2,230 at some other airports.
Aero Contractors Managing Director, Ado Sanusi, offered a different perspective. He said he was not aware of any Jet A1 scarcity and attributed the difficulty to its high cost.
“I am not aware of the scarcity of aviation fuel in Nigeria,” Sanusi said, adding that the Dangote refinery had improved local availability.
He put the price at about ₦2,000 per litre in Lagos and roughly ₦2,100 outside Lagos.
The distinction matters because Jet A1 is a core operating expense for airlines. When its price rises, carriers face higher costs on every flight. Domestic airlines also earn most of their ticket revenue in naira, while several aviation expenses are exposed to foreign exchange movements.
Nigeria’s Dangote Petroleum Refinery currently lists Jet A1 among its products, alongside PMS and AGO, and says it supplies both domestic and international markets.
The development therefore presents a paradox for the sector. Nigeria now has a major local refinery producing aviation fuel, yet airlines can still encounter supply interruptions or struggle with the price of obtaining the product.
On the part of passengers, the consequences are immediate. A fuel-related disruption can translate into hours at the terminal, missed connections, overnight stays and cancelled journeys. Persistent cost pressures can also feed into airline pricing and threaten the schedules of carriers operating on thin margins.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has recently intensified its scrutiny of airline operations and passenger treatment. In September, the regulator directed United Nigeria Airlines to improve its operations and comply with passenger-rights regulations after complaints about stranded travellers and operational lapses.
The Federal Government has also acknowledged the financial strain created by high Jet A1 costs. The NCAA said in June that a 30 per cent discount on outstanding statutory aviation fees owed by domestic airlines had been approved as part of measures to cushion the impact of expensive aviation fuel and support industry stability.
The latest Abuja disruption consequently points to a problem deeper than a cancelled flight. Nigeria may have fuel in the market, but airlines still need reliable access, manageable prices and sustainable payment arrangements with suppliers.
Until those pressures ease, passengers could continue to bear the consequences through delays, cancellations and potentially higher airfares.
