Domestic airlines face the threat of having to stop local flights due to aviation fuel scarcity

DOMESTIC flights within Nigeria face the threat of being grounded over the next few weeks as the scarcity of aviation fuel brought about the limited supply of petroleum products is hitting airlines very hard.

 

Over the last month, Nigeria has been plagued by a chronic lack of petroleum products due to limited supply as the government cuts imports. Because Nigeria's domestic refineries are not working at full capacity, they are only meeting about half of local demand, which has led to lengthy petrol queues at filling stations.

 

Now, the crisis looks set to spread to the aviation sector as airline operators have urged passengers to expect more delays or cancelled flights. According to the airlines, the scarcity of aviation fuel, known as Jet A1, threatens to stop scheduled operations altogether, unless more is delivered over the next few days.

 

Total, a major supplier of the product, imported two ships of aviation fuel but was directed to wait until the ships with petrol were discharged. The consequence is that the scarcity of aviation fuel would linger for some time.

 

 In response to the scarcity, foreign airlines have devised means of fuelling their aircraft outside Nigeria and only top up on arrival in the country. Several foreign airlines are being forced to drop passengers' luggage in order to carry more fuel, much to the displeasure of the customers when they arrive at their destinations.

 

One industry source said:  “BA takes fuel from London and sometimes they stop in Malta so to avoid refuelling in Nigeria, even though they have a supply contract. The other day, Air France came to Abuja and met with Total and they normally take about 60,000 litres but they asked for 20,000 litres, which is like a top up, which is what most foreign airlines are doing now.”

 

Another challenge the airlines are facing is the delay in trucking aviation fuel from Apapa, which could last for hours and when it arrives the airport, they have to wait for another two hours for the product to settle so that contaminants would not get into the aircraft tanks. One Arik Air said that the airline gives priority to its international flights and provides them with fuel before its domestic flights because of the image of the country and to prevent the loss of market share to foreign airlines.