Nigeria’s aviation industry is mounting pressure on regulators to investigate fuel marketers as the cost of Aviation Turbine Kerosene (Jet A1) continues to spike, despite the availability of relatively cheaper supply from the Dangote Refinery.
Speaking after a high-level meeting with the Federal Government, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, said the pricing trend in the market raises serious questions about transparency and pricing discipline among fuel distributors.
He stressed that airlines are not benefiting from local refining as expected, noting that the gap between refinery pricing and final market rates has widened significantly in recent weeks.
“The truth is that marketers must be called to account to explain how prices rose by as much as 300 per cent, even when Dangote’s supply remains the cheapest and some of them source directly from the refinery,” he said.
Onyema maintained that the current situation is unsustainable for operators already grappling with rising costs across multiple fronts, warning that continued pressure on Jet A1 pricing could disrupt flight operations.
Market checks show that supply remains scarce, particularly in Lagos, where access to ATK is increasingly limited. The Dangote Refinery is currently the dominant source but getting ATK even at the Refinery is quite scarce, while distribution bottlenecks have left much of the supply in the hands of a few marketers.
Checks by Petroleumprice.ng confirm that the scarcity has triggered aggressive pricing, with some marketers offering Jet A1 as high as ₦2,300 per litre.
The combination of limited supply and elevated pricing has intensified pressure on airlines, raising the likelihood of higher airfares and possible service adjustments if the situation persists.