BY OLAPEJU OLUBI
Players in Nigeria’s aviation industry have issued a passionate appeal to President Bola Tinubu, the National Assembly and the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development to rescue the ailing sector.
They noted that the sector is sliding into a systemic emergency driven by soaring Jet A1 prices, mounting debts and severe liquidity pressures threatening airline survival.
In a letter dated April 27, 2026, the stakeholders, on the platform of Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI), said the country’s aviation ecosystem had reached a dangerous turning point, insisting that unless urgent intervention is made, airlines could collapse with devastating consequences for airports, concessionaires, ground handlers and thousands of workers.
Signed by its President, Air Commodore (rtd) Ademola Onitiju, and General Secretary, Olumide Fidel Ohunayo, the group described the current fuel pricing regime as unsustainable and disconnected from global market realities.
According to the letter, a representative international Jet A1 benchmark of $184.63 per barrel in mid-April translated to about $1.161 per litre. At an exchange rate of ₦1,342 to the dollar, the implied refinery-gate parity stood around ₦1,559 per litre.
However, the group said Nigerian depot prices rose sharply from ₦900 per litre in late February to ₦2,000 by late March and as high as ₦3,000 to ₦3,300 by mid-April.
It argued that even after considering logistics and foreign exchange volatility, domestic prices were almost double global parity levels.
“This is not a global price problem alone; it is a widening local spread that must be confronted with urgency and precision,” the letter stated.
ASRTI warned that the sector is already witnessing a chain reaction of financial distress, with airports complaining of revenue losses, concessionaires demanding relief and ground handling companies threatening to suspend services over an estimated ₦9 billion debt owed by airlines.
The group, however, maintained that airlines must remain the first priority.
“If airlines collapse, the entire system collapses with them. Without airlines, there will be no agency receivables, no ground-handling revenue, no concession income, and no jobs for thousands of Nigerians,” it said.
Using the analogy, “save the ox before fixing the farm,” the stakeholders urged government to focus first on keeping airlines alive before addressing broader ecosystem concerns.
Among its immediate proposals was a time-bound Jet A1 refund mechanism covering the February to April hardship period, alongside a negotiated six-month fuel supply arrangement at parity prices and an additional four months of corrective supply support.
The body stressed that such intervention should not be seen as a subsidy, but a temporary market-correction tool, fully audited and publicly reconciled.
It also called for emergency low-interest bridge financing and working capital guarantees for airlines to help them meet payroll obligations, sustain operations and restructure verified debts owed to fuel marketers, handlers and aviation agencies.
The proposed assistance, it said, should be tied to safety compliance, uninterrupted essential services and strict sunset clauses to prevent abuse.
For ground handlers, concessionaires and other service providers, ASRTI recommended liquidity advances, rent freezes or deferments and targeted relief for verified losses, including possible debt restructuring where necessary.
To improve transparency, the group proposed a neutral reconciliation vehicle to oversee all payments, concessions and relief packages, with each beneficiary issued a reconciliation statement and final outcomes certified by independent auditors.
It added that no company receiving government support should be allowed to compromise maintenance, training, safety or regulatory obligations.
Beyond immediate rescue measures, the group demanded structural reforms across Nigeria’s aviation cost structure.
It called for an independent audit of airport charges, passenger levies, navigation fees, parking tariffs and ground-handling costs, with benchmarking against global standards to eliminate duplication and reduce the burden of taxes embedded in ticket fares.
ASRTI also proposed the establishment of a National Energy Price Protection Programme to prevent future fuel shocks.
The framework, it said, should include a volatility buffer fund, mandatory price transparency across the supply chain and investigations into refinery-to-gantry spreads or anti-competitive practices.
Looking ahead, the stakeholders unveiled a growth blueprint tagged “Fly Nigeria, Fly,” aimed at expanding passenger traffic, improving connectivity and unlocking the sector’s economic potential.
The programme would combine tax reforms, route incentives, PPP-driven airport upgrades, cargo and cold-chain expansion, as well as investment in aircraft maintenance facilities, pilot training and domestic leasing.
The body urged the Federal Government to act swiftly, warning that delay could trigger wider economic damage.
“The aviation sector is not merely a mode of transport; it is a national economic artery. To allow it to fail would impose a far greater burden on Nigerians and the economy,” the letter stated.
Olapeju is a journalist and aviation reporter.
