Nigerian Airlines Threaten Total Shutdown From Monday Over 300% Jet Fuel Hike

Nigerian airlines say they will suspend all domestic flights from Monday, April 20, unless the price of aviation fuel drops. The Airline Operators of Nigeria made the threat in a letter dated April 14 to the Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria, warning that the current pricing is “astronomical and unsustainable.”

Jet A1 fuel now costs ₦3,300 per litre. Six weeks ago, it was ₦900. That is a jump of over 300 percent in less than two months, and the airlines say there is no justification for it. International crude prices have only risen about 30 percent in the same period.

One airline already grounded

The AON revealed that at least one carrier has already shut down entirely since March 13 because it could no longer afford fuel. The group did not name the airline, but the signal is clear: more could follow.

The letter, signed by AON president Abdulmunaf Sarina, was copied to President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, the Minister of Aviation, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, and the Department of State Services. In other words, this is not a casual warning.

The math does not work

Airlines have been absorbing the rising costs for over four weeks, the AON said, calling it an act of patriotism. But that well has run dry. “Airline revenues are insufficient to cover the cost of fuel alone,” the letter stated flatly.

Raising ticket prices to match fuel costs would drive passengers away. Shutting down would disrupt millions of livelihoods, strain financial institutions, and potentially worsen insecurity. The AON framed it as a national security issue, not just an industry problem.

The fuel marketers, for their part, have not publicly responded. With four days left before the deadline, the clock is ticking on whether the government steps in or Nigeria’s skies go quiet.

Sources: Channels TV, Punch, Daily Post, Guardian Nigeria, SaharaReporters