Airlines suspend planned shutdown of flight operations

Airline operators in Nigeria (AON) have temporarily suspended their planned shutdown over increase in aviation fuel.

The operators noted that while the suspension is temporary, their next line of action depends on the outcome of a meeting with Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, scheduled for Wednesday.

The Airline Operators of Nigeria announced the decision in a communiqué released late Friday after an emergency meeting.The group stated that its decision as “concessionary but conditional.”

“The Exco would like to state unequivocally that the planned shutdown action scheduled for Monday, April 20, 2026, is hereby called off, albeit temporarily,” the communiqué read.Recalled that few days ago, the AON threatened to shut down operations from Monday, April 20, 2026, over surging aviation fuel price.

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The airline operators stated that the price of Jet A1 as sold by marketers has risen significantly from the initial N900/litre as at February 28, 2026, to N3,300/litre as at Wednesday.According the AON, this represents an increase of over 300 percent. While agreeing to suspend the strike, AON made clear that its patience has limits.The association demanded that government agencies and service providers continue to support airlines during negotiations.

It also asked them to stop demanding upfront payments for services.”As a precondition for the suspension, we call on the Honourable Minister to urge the various government agencies and industry service providers to continue to provide services to airlines and desist from undue harassment, as well as to stop demanding upfront payment for services rendered.

“We respect the appeals of the Federal Government… and will therefore be patient for the outcome of the meeting scheduled for Wednesday, April 22, 2026, to determine any further decision,” the communiqué stated.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.