Local airlines in the country are heaving under the burden of scarcity of Jet A1, aviation fuel, saying that the situation has begun to take a bad toll on their business.
Some of the airlines have run out of supplies while only a few are still operating.
The Chief Executive Officer of Cleanserve Energy, a major marketer of Jet A1, Chris Ndulle, was quoted as saying that the current price of crude oil in the international market and the raging Ukraine-Russia war chiefly affected price and supply.
Report indicated that the price of Jet A1 oscillated between N580 and N600 per litre in the last few days, against the N450 official rate.
An official of a domestic airline, who spoke anonymously, said that “The price of jet A1 touched N600, reason those who had been keeping quiet shouted.”
Ibom Air in a statement on the scarcity, said, “We have encountered a situation today where aviation fuel is scarce and, therefore, unavailable at almost all our flight destinations.
“This has significantly impacted our flight schedule today and may do the same tomorrow.
“We sincerely apologize to all our passengers (that are) affected by the current situation. At this time, we have no indication when the issue will be resolved. However, we are working with our fellow airlines and fuel suppliers to find a solution.”
In the same vein, Arik Air said, “Nigeria airlines are currently experiencing acute scarcity of Jet A1 and this situation is having serious impact on our operations.
“The commodity is not readily available across the country and where available goes for between N590 and N625 per litre.
“We are appealing to our esteemed customers to please bear with us as we engage the oil marketers and other stakeholders on ways of resolving the current jet fuel situation.”
