By Ogenyi Ogenyi,Uyo
The management of Ibom Air has called on fuel marketers in The country to reconsider the pricing of aviation fuel to make the airline business model continue to work in Nigeria.
In a statement in Uyo, the airline described the current fuel price regime in the country as unprecedented crisis for Nigeria’s domestic airlines.
The statement endorsed by Aniekan Essienette, Group Manager, Marketing and Communication, Ibom Airlines said the price of jet fuel has jumped by more than 350% since March.
“At Ibom Air, the cost of fueling our aircraft has more than tripled between January and today. From an average of N2.1m per flight in January, as at today, the 27th of April, we are paying approximately N7.6m to fuel every flight.
“This is a more than 350% increase since the beginning of March, a space of just 7 weeks! And our aircraft are some of the most fuel efficient in the domestic market.
At this point, domestic airlines are baffled at why the price of aviation fuel in Nigeria has ballooned to this level, way above the rest of the world, while the fuel marketers obtain 95% or more of their aviation fuel from Dangote Refinery.
“The situation is exacerbated by the fact that a combination of competitive pressures and patriotism have prevented a commensurate increase in our fares, meaning that we and our fellow domestic airlines have had to absorb the immense operating losses resulting from this situation.
“We chose to do this believing that the crisis would pass in a week or two, but it has persisted now for nearly two months, continuously increasing, with no reprieve in sight as at today. While we continue to do everything we can to maintain normal operations, it is clear to us that the current conditions are unsustainable.” It said.
It regretted that, worldwide, where fuel price increases are nowhere near what it is in Nigeria, airlines are reducing flights to manage the situation.
“We, too, will have to take whatever ameliorating actions we can in the days ahead, including reducing our capacity if necessary, to be able to continue to provide services to our customers and our country.
“We also note that, if this situation persists much longer, airlines will not be able to continue operating just to pay for fuel and nothing else.” The statement warned.
