In a divulgence inscribed by the President of AON, Abdulmunaf Yunusa and xeroxed to the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika and the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Musa Nuhu, the organ disclosed aviation fuel price (JetA1) has jumped up from N190 per litre to N700 recently and no airline in the world can mop up the bombshell from such an enormous rise over a short time frame. The body said: “It is with a huge sense of chores and jingoism that the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) have toted on stationing and funding their ministrations to the very treasured Nigerian flying public in the last four months disregarding the astronomical plod in the price of JetA1 and other plight costs.
“Over the months, aviation fuel cost (JetA1) has graduated from N190 per litre to N700 currently. Due to this, airlines have busied the Federal Government, the National Assembly, NNPC and oil marketers with the motif to curtailing the cost of JetA1 which has currently made the unit cost per seat for a one hour flight in Nigeria today to an average of N120,000. The latter cannot be fully shifted to passengers who are already experiencing a lot of challenges.
“While AON prizes the bashes of the government in power under the orchestration of President Muhammadu Buhari to warrant air transport in Nigeria fill out, woefully, the cost of aviation fuel has never stopped to increase constantly thereby gave birth to huge pressure on the sustainability of operations and financial workability of the airlines.
“As touching this therefore, the AON wishes to ruefully prime the general that member airlines will suspend functions nationwide starting from Monday May 9, 2022 until further notice.
AON uses this opportunity to repentantly position that we rue any vexation this very ill decision brings about and sue to travelers to warmly revise their travel program and device auxiliary arrangements.” The airlines which autographed the statement includes; Max Air, United Nigeria Airlines, Ibom Air, Arik Air, Aero Contractors, Azman Air, Overland Airways, Dana Air and Air Peace.
In addition to this development, three aviation unions will on Monday and Tuesday, May 9 and 10, embark on warning strike concerning the neglect of the Minimum Wage Consequential Adjustment which has been clinched since 2019.
