Keyamo and Oyedele Move to Shield Airlines From Aviation Fuel Price Surge

Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo has held talks with Finance Minister Taiwo Oyedele aimed at finding relief for domestic airlines reeling from a sharp spike in aviation fuel prices. Jet A1 costs have jumped from roughly N900 per litre in February to about N3,300, a nearly fourfold increase that has carriers threatening to down tools.

Keyamo’s Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Tunde Moshood, confirmed the Abuja meeting in a statement, saying both ministers “acknowledged that the volatility in aviation fuel prices continues to exert pressure on airlines, with implications for connectivity, passenger traffic and economic productivity.”

Keyamo’s appeal to airlines

The meeting came on the heels of Keyamo’s own letter to the Airline Operators of Nigeria, dated April 16, in which he urged carriers not to hike fares or suspend operations. “First, I urge your members to exercise restraint with respect to any proposed increase in airfares at this time,” he wrote, warning that higher ticket prices could impose additional hardship on Nigerians and reduce access to air travel.

He also pushed back against threatened shutdowns. “Such action would have far-reaching adverse implications for the national economy, disrupt critical mobility and logistics networks, erode public confidence, and undermine the progress recorded under the ongoing reforms within the aviation sector,” Keyamo said.

What the ministers agreed on

According to the statement, Keyamo and Oyedele identified areas of collaboration including policy alignment, fiscal interventions, and innovative financing mechanisms to support operators and attract investment. They also agreed to sustain close engagement with stakeholders to ensure reforms translate into “tangible benefits for operators, investors and the flying public.”

The AON had warned its members might suspend flights from April 20 over the fuel price surge. Keyamo announced plans for an emergency stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja on April 22 to address the crisis. For passengers already grappling with expensive tickets and flight cancellations, the gap between ministerial statements and actual price relief at the pump remains wide.

*Sources: Vanguard, Information NG*