Nigeria becomes the first country in the world to cancel all its flights due to rising fuel prices. And it is that according to the unions, the country’s air operators “will begin to cancel their operations at the national level until further notice.”
A source from Nigerian airlines has explained to the BBC that the suspension would not affect international flights, although it would affect those with internal connectionssince flights are usually the preferred option to travel among citizens due to insecurity on the roads due to armed groups and different jihadist organizations.
?? All Nigerian airlines will stop operating domestic flights indefinitely due to high fuel prices. pic.twitter.com/5C1B6vdl2O
— Deciphering the War (@descifraguerra) May 7, 2022
four months of trouble
For four months, Nigerian airlines have recalled that they have been “subsidizing” flights for four months after the price of fuel will triple to 700 naira (1.60 euros) per litre.
Passengers in Nigeria pay fares in local currency, which has been devalued in recent months, while fuel suppliers must be paid in US dollars. The President of the Association of Operators, Serina Abdulmunafexplained that the suspension of operations is due to the “astronomical” rise.
“While aviation fuel is said to make up about 40% of an airline’s operating cost globally, the current increase has pushed the operating cost in Nigeria up by around 95 percent,” Abdulmunaf said in his letter.
Most airlines already operate at a loss, and any further rise in prices is going to kill their business, tour operators say, so the first measure is already underway and starts this Monday.
Aviation workers’ unions have also notified the government a two-day warning strike in protest of unresolved conditions of service and outstanding wellness concerns, beginning Monday, May 9.