The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has issued a warning that domestic airlines may ground all operations nationwide from Monday, April 20, 2026, if the federal government fails to urgently intervene in the worsening aviation fuel crisis.
AON has threatened to shut down operations from Monday, April 20, 2026, over surging aviation fuel costs, a threat that comes amid a broader deterioration of conditions across the sector.
The crisis has been building for weeks. According to the AON spokesperson, Obiora Okonkwo, the price of Jet-A1 aviation fuel has jumped sharply, rising from approximately N1,000 per litre to around N1,800 per litre in many parts of Nigeria an increase of about 80 percent.
Industry experts have linked the spike to heightened global energy prices driven by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Okonkwo revealed that despite the surge in operating costs, many airlines have not yet passed the burden on to passengers through fare increases, absorbing losses to keep flights running.
The strain on individual carriers is already showing. Sahara Reporters reports that Nigeria’s largest carrier, Air Peace, issued an official circular on April 10, 2026, alerting passengers to possible flight disruptions arising from fuel scarcity, noting that some routes across its network may experience delays.
This is not the first time Nigeria’s aviation industry has reached this breaking point. The sector faced near-identical crises in 2022, when the AON warned that the hike in jet fuel prices had made operations unsustainable, with fuel costs accounting for up to 95 percent of Nigerian airlines’ operating expenses, far above the global industry average of around 40 percent.
Airlines ultimately pulled back from a threatened shutdown after government intervention.
Passengers in Nigeria pay for tickets in naira, while fuel providers must be paid in US dollars. Despite being Africa’s largest oil producer, Nigeria imports nearly all of its jet fuel, leaving the domestic aviation market chronically exposed to foreign exchange volatility and global energy shocks.
As of the time of this report, the federal government had not publicly responded to the AON’s latest ultimatum. With April 20 five days away, pressure is mounting on authorities to act before a potential nationwide shutdown disrupts air travel across the country.
