FRI, 12 AUG, 2022-theGBJournal| The Lagos Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) says the Federal Government must immediately consider involving the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the NNPC in making FOREX available for aviation fuel imports, as situation in the sector reaches problem level.
‘’The aviation sector qualifies for targeted financing to facilitate economic activities in the country, boost economic growth and avert an imminent recession,’’ the Chamber said while sharing its concern on the astronomical hike in the price of aviation fuel the domestic airline face.
LCCI said ‘’it is concerned about the aviation crisis because of the systemic importance of air travel for the conduct of trade and commerce across borders. The organised private sector urges the Government to take immediate steps toward resolving the crises in the aviation sector. Air transportation is considered one of the safest channels considering the despicable level of insecurity in the country. Hence, resolving the continued fuel crisis facing the safest transport channel is critical for the business community.’’
The Chamber highlighted the astronomical hike in the price of aviation fuel, with the commodity rising from N300 per litre to over N800 per litre within five months saying ‘’the challenging operating environment has led to an unprecedented increase in airfares and continuous delays and flight cancellations by domestic airlines.’’
The Federal Government said recently that there are no immediate solutions to the crisis currently rocking Nigeria’s aviation sector, claiming the issues are global while the umbrella body for domestic airlines in the country, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), notified air transport passengers that the sector was experiencing a significant crisis.
This crisis was (and still is) an acute scarcity of aviation fuel (Jet A1), which has caused intermittent flight delays and cancellations. Some airlines have been forced to shut down operations due to the harsh operating environment.
‘’With the rising insecurity that has bedevilled our road transport system, a safer option is air transportation. This portends challenges around the movement of goods and business conduct across locations. The Government cannot afford to allow this sector to suffer from these crises. Operators in the industry are faced with a double whammy issue of foreign exchange scarcity and the high cost of aviation fuel, Jet-A1, which is a significant cost component in airline operations,’’ LCCI said in a statement signed by its Director-General, Dr. Chinyere Almona and made available to thG&BJournal.
The Chamber said it has noted that from the beginning of the year, aviation fuel scarcity has remained a persistent and unresolved problem that has impacted the cost-of-service delivery, as reflected in the rising cost of flights, with the business community not sure of any intervention to provide respite, the woes of the airline operators may be far from over.
The earlier intervention by the National Assembly alongside the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) that saw the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) supply Jet-A1 at a discounted price of N480/litre may not have achieved the desired results. The sector has continued to suffer from persistent shocks and disruptions to operations.
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