Flights halted in Nigeria over rising jet fuel costs

Domestic flights in Nigeria have been disrupted since March as some started to cancel internal schedules while others delayed operations, citing scarcity of jet fuel.

Nigerian airlines will stop operations due to the high cost of jet fuel, the Airline Operators of Nigeria association said. 

Jet fuel has risen to 700 naira per litre in Nigeria from 190 naira over a short period, the airline association said in a statement, saying that the cost of a one-hour flight has more than doubled to 120,000 naira, which is unsustainable. 

Airline passengers in Nigeria pay for fares in naira, which has weakened sharply due to devaluations. Fuel suppliers however are paid in dollars, a scarce currency in Africa’s top economy. Read more »