Airlines Cancel More Flights As Fuel Scarcity Continues

Flight delays and cancellations among airlines in Nigeria continues unabated as scarcity of aviation fuel bites harder and the cost of purchase increases.

At Nigeria’s busiest airports in Lagos and Abuja, aircraft scheduled to fly on Tuesday were parked for hours waiting for fuel.

Local media reports, that airlines like Ibom Air could not fly most of their aircraft on Tuesday, March 8, due to fuel scarcity. The airline admitted to the situation and predicted the situation may extend to Wednesday.

They stated they had encountered a situation where aviation fuel is scarce and therefore unavailable at almost all flight destinations. This has significantly impacted flight schedules.

The Airline said at this time, there is no indication when the issue will be resolved, however, they are working with fellow airlines and fuel suppliers to find a solution.

Dana Air also found itself in the same situation last week where most of their flights were cancelled due to scarcity of fuel.

Late last month, one of Nigerians airlines, Air Peace informed passengers that some of their flights were delayed due to scarcity. The airline said their Lagos to Port Harcourt flight for 14:30 on February 15 was delayed due to lack of fuel and the Port Harcourt to Abuja flight for 16:25 and Abuja to Lagos for 16:25 were also affected.

Despite being Africa’s largest oil producer, Nigeria imports almost all its jet fuel.Motorists have also been suffering from severe fuel shortages at the pumps for weeks.

Global oil prices have hit a 14-year peak after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.