High cost, scarcity of Jet Ai fuel a global crisis, Sirika tells AON

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3 years ago

Hadi Sirika

The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika has disclosed that the high cost of aviation fuel popularly known as Jet A1 fuel was a global crisis affecting countries like America, New Zealand and other developed nations, and not a peculiar situation to Nigeria.

Speaking on Tuesday while playing host to members of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) in Abuja, Sirika maintained that the crises in the aviation sector are beyond the industry’s control, stating that there is no immediate solution to the crisis.

The Minister regretted that there is no short-term solution because of the variables involved especially since it is a global problem.

According to him, “energy crisis is real and it is global. Today, there is an aviation fuel problem all over the world. From America to New Zealand. It is aggravating in Nigeria because we don’t produce the product.

“It’s aggravated also because the foreign exchange is scarce in Nigeria because the source of earning the foreign exchange also has dwindled.”

He stated that the Federal Government had in the past sourced 10,000 metric tonnes of Aviation Fuel for the airlines, “as we speak, the government is in the process of finding a permanent solution to this issue”.

In addressing some of the challenges facing the sector, Sirika said some of the solutions include “importation of the product at an appropriate price, accelerating the refurbishment of our refineries and also wait for the coming on stream of Dangote Refinery to boost the supply of the product.

“So when you ask how soon, I wouldn’t know when Dangote will come on stream, I wouldn’t know how soon the refineries will be filled. I wouldn’t know when imports would become sufficient. But the government is working towards all these to happen,” the Minister reaffirmed.

On his part, the President of AON, Alh. Abdulmunaf Yunusa Sarina explained that the aviation fuel crisis began at N180 per litre and now it is at N1000 per litre.

He lamented that the Forex crisis is a huge burden on the industry. “The rate at which the dollar is escalating now is very alarming. Every day, a difference between 10-15 Naira is added to the parallel market. Last week Monday, it was N610 but today, it is N670 to one dollar,” he said.

Sarina called on the Minister to intervene and take more drastic steps in addressing the crisis facing the aviation sector.

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