Nigerian airlines have canceled plans to stop domestic flights starting Monday in protest of rising aviation fuel prices.
According to the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), it has increased almost fourfold this year, which is unsustainable.
The increases are mostly due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at the end of February.
However, the airlines maintain that flights will resume as long as discussions with the government continue.
However, he claims that when their planes were delayed, several passengers at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja blocked the boarding gate. Some of the irate passengers said that they had been waiting at the airport since Sunday night to board flights to different locations in order to avoid service disruptions caused by the scheduled strike.
Many people spent a terrible night at the airport, using chairs as beds, according to photos circulating on social media.
The government has provided AON certain guarantees, according to AON.
Since the scheduled shutdown was disclosed on Friday, it has been under government pressure, consumer protection organizations, and consumers to postpone it.
Thousands of passengers whose plans were about to be interrupted would be relieved by the news.
However, it is unclear if the airlines and the Nigerian government would reach an agreement that will survive.
Over the previous four months, AON, which represents Nigeria’s nine domestic carriers, has complained about airlines having to subsidise services.
Since March, there have been several airline cancellations and delays, which have been attributed to a jet fuel scarcity. In recent weeks, the cost of tickets on certain routes has quadrupled.
Airline passengers in Nigeria pay for their tickets with naira, the country’s depreciating currency. Fuel providers, on the other hand, must be paid in US dollars.
Nigeria imports virtually all of its jet fuel despite being Africa’s greatest oil production.
Because of the instability on the highways around the nation, flying is typically the preferred mode of transportation for those who can afford it.
Kidnapping gangs target automobiles on roads, abducting passengers and holding them for ransom.
