Airlines scrap plan to ground flights as Nigeria offers to talk

Nigerian airlines have suspended plans to ground flights starting Monday over the high cost of aviation fuel that is crippling their businesses and making operations unprofitable.

The Airline Operators of Nigeria “acceded to requests to withdraw the action” until the union could hold a fresh round of talks with the government, it said in a statement on Sunday. “We have also reached the decision with the highest consideration for our esteemed customers who have been faced with uncertainty over the last few days,” it said.

Nigeria’s 23 airlines have struggled to keep up operations because of the massive disruption to energy markets caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The carriers said they are unable to continue to absorb the high cost of jet fuel that has more than tripled to 700 naira ($1.68) per liter over the past four months.

Minister of Aviation Hadi Sirika said the government was looking at ways to ameliorate the challenges faced by the airlines and appealed to them not to withdraw their services.