Lagos, Nigeria – Nigerian airlines confront crippling cost surges as Jet A1 aviation fuel rocketed from N900-N995 to N2,500-N2,700 per litre amid Middle East war disruptions, accounting for 45% of operations and threatening airfare doublings while carriers bleed under unsustainable N195,000 ticket pricing.
Okay News reports United Nigeria Airlines spokesperson Chibuike Uloka challenging FCCPC: “This is a very good time for FCCPC to come out and ask operators how they have been able to sustain flight tickets at N195,000 despite the increase in aviation fuel crossing N2000… If it gets to N3000, not all operators will be able to fly.”
Fuel prices flipped five times since Iran war’s February 28 start, with crude leaping from $65-$69 to $112/bbl forcing Dangote Refinery crude imports that spiked gantry costs; industry expert Samuel Caulcrick forecasts 20-25% imminent hikes as maintenance yields fueling as top expense.
Carriers monitor the crisis but signal inevitable adjustments, warning capacity shrinkage if N3,000/litre hits—dismissing recent FCCPC price-fixing accusations against five airlines amid hard times where “we are asking now is not even profit, but at least to be able to operate optimally.”
Aviation’s daily necessity status collides with economic reality as Middle East supply shocks ripple through Nigeria’s skies, squeezing passengers between rising fares and shrinking flights while operators plead for regulatory understanding of fuel-dominated cost structures.
The perfect storm of global crude chaos and local refining gaps positions airlines for survival pricing, potentially grounding smaller players and consolidating capacity under fare pressure unseen since pre-war stability.
