Domestic flights in Nigeria disrupted due to fuel shortage

FUEL shortages in Nigeria have caused domestic airlines to cancel some internal flights and delay others this week, two of the country’s biggest carriers said on Wednesday.

Air Peace, Nigeria’s biggest carrier by passenger numbers, flying to Dubai and Johannesburg, said it was likely to experience flight disruptions on Wednesday and in the coming days due to jet fuel scarcity.

“Unfortunately, the fuel scarcity is starting to seriously impact our operations,” it said.

Another carrier, Arik Air, delayed almost all its flights on Tuesday and cancelled others, it said, adding that there was no certainty on the situation in the coming days.

Nigeria imports almost all its jet fuel, which has nearly doubled to as high as 625 naira per liter since December, Arik Air said.

Global jet fuel prices have hit a near 14-year peak as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggered a surge in the crude oil market, hitting