Nigerian airline operators have put off a planned flight suspension in protest of increased jet fuel prices. Nigerian airlines had planned to cancel flights on Monday, but they will continue to operate till further notice.
The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has declared that its planned collective action to ground flights in protest of soaring fuel costs will not be carried out.
The airline association, which represents Nigeria's nine domestic carriers, said on Sunday that flights will resume and that it would pursue additional talks with the government.
However, when Nigeria's Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, pleaded with airlines to reconsider their protest, a few carriers, including Ibom Air and Dana Air, have withdrawn out. Prior to AON's declaration on Sunday, Air Peace stated its support for the collective action.
Customers in Nigeria were disappointed to learn of the suspension. Traveling by road or train in Nigeria might be perilous due to the presence of several kidnapping groups. After gunmen attacked their train in March, nine people died and 62 were kidnapped and kept prisoner.
Between January and May, jet fuel costs in Nigeria jumped from 190 to 700 Nigerian naira per litre ($0.45 to nearly $1.70).
Nigerian carriers have been struck particularly hard by increased fuel costs internationally as a result of the Ukraine war. Nigeria generates 1.4 million barrels of crude oil per day, but refines nearly none of it and instead imports jet fuel, which it pays for in dollars.
