The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Aviation fuel scarcity

  • Aviation Fuel Scarcity: NCAA advises airlines to scale down operations

    The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has advised domestic airlines to scale down their flight operations following the lingering scarcity of Jet A1, popularly called aviation fuel.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Acting General Manager Public Relations in NCAA, Mr. Sam Adurogboye, gave the advice on Wednesday in Lagos.

    NAN learnt that aviation fuel was currently being bought at exorbitant prices ranging from N160 to N200 per litre by the airlines due to scarcity of the product.

    Adurogboye said that NCAA was concerned that passengers were not made to suffer unduly because of the scarcity of aviation fuel.

    “Our directive earlier when this situation arose is that airlines should cut down their operations to services they are able to procure fuel for.

    “Where they have sold tickets, then they contact the passengers ahead of time to avoid their coming to the airport and be stranded,’’ he added.

    However, Arik Air in a statement by its Communications Manager, Mr. Ola Adebanji, said marketers had assured the airlines that the situation would improve this week as they were expecting delivery of additional stock.

    The statement identified supply and infrastructural challenges of the marketers as some of the key factors responsible for the epileptic supply of aviation fuel.

    “At the root of the fuel supply crisis is low stock due to the inability of marketers to source for the foreign exchange to import more Jet A1 fuel.

    “There is also distribution challenge as the discharging of vessels bringing Jet A1 and other petroleum products are done in the same
    jetty and loading various trucks for distribution to cities like Kano or Abuja takes considerable effort and time.

    “The situation in the north is even more difficult since the product takes longer to be delivered due to the trucking distance.

    “Oil marketers have also resorted to trucking of aviation fuel to the airports because hydrants are not consistently available at the airports,’’ it said.

     

  • Aviation fuel scarcity disrupts flight operations at Lagos airport

    The lingering scarcity of aviation fuel on Monday disrupted flight operations at the Murtala Muhammed Airport 2 (MMA2) and the General Aviation Terminal of the airport in Lagos.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some domestic airlines had to re-schedule or cancel most of their flights following their inability to procure aviation fuel for their aircraft.

    NAN gathered that among the airlines affected were Aero Contractors, Dana, Azman, First Nation and Peace Airline.

    Some passengers travelling to Abuja, Kano, Kaduna, Owerri and Enugu were left stranded and frustrated when the cancellation of their flights were announced through the airport’s public address system.

    The situation prompted some of them to rush to Arik Air counter to purchase tickets as the airline was among the few having hitch-free operations.

    A passenger, Mrs. Chioma Akabueze, told NAN that she was booked on a 10:00am flight in one of the affected airlines, but was later informed that all the airline’s flights for the day had been cancelled.

    “The announcement was made around 4:30pm and it is very disappointing. I was supposed to hold a meeting with a client in Owerri by 2:00pm and now, I have to reschedule,’’ she said.

    Another traveller, Mr. Emma Akanni, said he had to pay a tout N40,000 to get him an Arik Air one-way ticket to Abuja, though the airline charges N51,600 for a to and fro ticket for the same destination.

     

  • Aero attributes flight delays, cancellations to fuel scarcity

    Aero attributes flight delays, cancellations to fuel scarcity

    Aero contractors on Monday apologised to its passengers over flight delays and cancellations, attributing it to aviation fuel scarcity.

    The airline’s customers experienced delays/cancellation on Sunday and Monday morning due to scarcity of aviation fuel.

    The airline’s management however said it is taking appropriate measures at addressing the situation by contacting other fuel suppliers in order to meet its demands.

    “Aero wishes to apologise to its dearest customers over the delay and cancellation of flight operations last night and this morning.

    “We are experiencing fuel scarcity as our contract fuel suppliers are unable to supply fuel to us, while the other suppliers are unable to supply fuel to us due to scarcity of aviation fuel.

    “We are taking appropriate measures to address this issue as soon as possible by engaging other suppliers to ensure smooth, safe and secure flight operations for our customers,” the airline said.

     

  • Arik loses $9m to aviation fuel scarcity

    Arik loses $9m to aviation fuel scarcity

    The scarcity of aviation fuel has taken a huge toll on airline operations with Arik Air declaring on Friday that it has lost an estimated $9million since last week due to disruptions in its operations.

    Addressing reporters at its headquarters at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, the airline Managing Director, Mr. Chris Ndulue, said the management has put contingency plans in place to ensure the company does not shut down its operations because of the situation.

    Ndulue said the airline now flies to neighbouring countries in West and Central Africa to source for aviation fuel at a ridiculously high rate to sustain its operations.

    He said Arik Air now flies to Ghana, Cameroon and Benin Republic to source for aviation fuel.

    According to him, if the fuel situation does not improve the airline may not operate flights, as the alternate arrangement is costing the airline much money with the attendant inconveniences to passengers.

    He said, “For over one week now, aviation fuel scarcity has impacted negatively on our flight operations. It has become very bad that we have to scale down our flights gradually. In the last one week it has become increasingly difficult to sustain our operations owing largely to scarcity of aviation fuel.

    “Getting fuel to fly to our international destinations has become extremely expensive, because we have to source fuel from Kano, Cotonou , Cameroon and Accra to sustain our operations .

    “Because of the huge quantity of fuel averaging about 800,000 litres needed daily for our wide body aircraft, it is becoming very difficult to operate effectively.

    “If the situation does not improve in the coming days, we may not return to normal flight operations.”