Ibom Air warns of imminent flight reductions over skyrocketing aviation price

Ibom Air has warned that it may be forced to reduce its flight frequency in the coming days as the cost of aviation fuel reaches a breaking point. In a stark update released today, April 27, 2026, the airline described the current pricing situation as an “unprecedented crisis” that has become financially unsustainable for domestic carriers.

According to a statement signed by Aniekan Essienette, group manager of Marketing and Communication, the cost of fuelling a single flight has more than tripled in just seven weeks. In January, the airline spent an average of N2.1 million per flight; as of April 26, that figure has surged to approximately N7.6 million—a staggering 350% increase since the beginning of March.

The “Dangote Paradox”
Despite the emergence of the Dangote Refinery, which now supplies over 95% of the country’s Jet A1 fuel, Ibom Air expressed bewilderment that local prices
remain significantly higher than global averages.

“Domestic airlines are baffled at why the price of aviation fuel in Nigeria has ballooned to this level, way above the rest of the world,” the statement read. The airline noted that while international carriers often reduce capacity to manage much smaller price hikes, Nigerian airlines have, until now, absorbed these massive losses out of patriotism and a desire to keep fares affordable.

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The airline, which operates a modern fleet of Bombardier CRJ 900s and Airbus A220s, emphasised that it can no longer maintain normal operations under these conditions.

“It is clear to us that the current conditions are unsustainable,” Essienette stated. “We will have to take whatever ameliorating actions we can in the days ahead, including reducing our capacity if necessary.”

The warning comes at a critical time for the industry. Beyond fuel prices, the sector is also facing a total shutdown by the Aviation Ground Handlers Association of Nigeria (AGHAN) over a separate N9 billion debt dispute with airlines.

Ibom Air concluded with an urgent call to fuel marketers to reconsider their pricing models, warning that if the trend continues, airlines will soon be operating “just to pay for fuel and nothing else”.