Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), has appealed to the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) to shelve plans to suspend flight operations and refrain from increasing airfares despite the sharp rise in aviation fuel costs.
In a letter dated April 16, 2026, addressed to the AON President, the minister acknowledged the operational challenges facing airlines following the spike in the price of Jet A1 fuel from ₦900 per litre as of February 28 to ₦3,300 per litre, a 300 per cent increase.
Keyamo commended domestic airlines for sustaining operations under difficult conditions, describing their efforts as resilient and professional, but urged operators to exercise restraint with respect to any proposed increase in airfares, warning that higher ticket prices could worsen hardship for Nigerians and reduce access to air travel.
He also appealed to the airlines to reconsider any planned shutdown of operations, noting that such action would have far-reaching adverse implications for the national economy, disrupt critical mobility and logistics networks, erode public confidence, and undermine ongoing reforms.
The minister reassured operators that the concerns raised in their earlier communication had received the full attention of the Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and said immediate steps would be taken to address the issues.
As part of efforts to resolve the crisis, Keyamo disclosed that an emergency stakeholders’ meeting has been scheduled for April 22 in Abuja, which will bring together relevant stakeholders and regulatory authorities to find a prompt, practical, and sustainable resolution to the fuel price crisis.
The appeal follows warnings by airline operators that they may suspend operations from April 20 if the surge in Jet A1 fuel prices persists, raising concerns about potential disruption to Nigeria’s aviation sector.
