The Digest:
Rano Air has announced the temporary suspension of some flight routes following what it described as an unprecedented increase of over 300 per cent in the cost of Jet A1 aviation fuel. The airline stated that the sharp rise has made operations on some routes "extremely challenging and commercially unsustainable." A source listed Maiduguri and Gombe as potential suspensions. The airline currently operates Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Kaduna, Katsina, Bauchi, and Osubi routes. The federal government recently pegged jet A1 price at N2,039 per litre in Abuja, but airlines still report buying fuel at nearly N3,000 per litre.
Key Points:
- Passengers on northern routes like Maiduguri and Gombe face reduced travel options and higher ticket prices.
- Businesses relying on air cargo and passenger movement in affected regions may see economic disruption.
- Airlines operating on thin margins face impossible choices between suspending routes or flying at a loss.
- The government's price control on aviation fuel appears ineffective as actual purchase prices remain far higher.
- The timing of this crisis, amid global Middle East supply disruptions, leaves Nigerian carriers with no immediate relief.
Sources: Daily Trust
