The federal government has appealed to domestic airlines not to increase airfares or suspend flight operations due to a 300 per cent hike in aviation fuel prices.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said this in a letter to the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) on Friday.
Keyamo said the government was aware of the increase in Jet A1 fuel from N900 per litre as of February 28, 2026, to N3,300 per litre currently.
The minister noted that the proposed action by the operators would have adverse implications on the national economy, disrupt critical mobility and logistics networks, erode public confidence, and undermine the progress recorded under the ongoing reforms within the aviation sector.
He also assured the operators that their concerns were receiving attention, noting that the administration of President Bola Tinubu accorded the aviation sector the highest strategic importance and had initiated reforms in the sector aimed at supporting the growth and sustenance of the businesses of local operators.
He said a high-level emergency stakeholders’ meeting had been scheduled to be held on Wednesday, April 22nd, 2026, in Abuja.
“At the outset, I wish to commend the resilience, professionalism, and steadfast commitment of your members in sustaining air transport services under evidently difficult conditions.
“Let me reiterate that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu accords the aviation sector the highest strategic importance. In line with the provisions of the Civil Aviation Act, 2022, the sector remains a critical national asset essential to trade facilitation, national security, employment generation, and overall economic integration.
“You will also acknowledge that the Government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has initiated unprecedented reforms in the sector aimed at supporting the growth and sustenance of the businesses of local operators,” he said.
Continuing, said: “In light of the foregoing, I am making the following appeals; First, I urge your members to exercise restraint with respect to any proposed increase in airfares at this time.
“While the prevailing cost pressures on your operations are fully acknowledged, any immediate upward adjustment in ticket prices would impose significant hardship on the travelling public, potentially depress demand, and limit accessibility to air transport for a broad segment of Nigerians.
“Secondly, I appeal for the reconsideration of any planned suspension of flight operations. Such action would have far-reaching adverse implications for the national economy, disrupt critical mobility and logistics networks, erode public confidence, and undermine the progress recorded under the ongoing reforms within the aviation sector.
He assured the operators that their concerns had “received the full attention of the federal government and we shall take immediate steps to address the issues.”
