ASRTI Writes President Tinubu, Keyamo, National Assembly Over Jet A1 Crisis

Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI) has written an open letter of appeal to the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Minister of Aviation & Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo (SAN) and members of the National Assembly, offering possible solutions to the lingering jet fuel crisis that is threatening airline operations.

A letter dated April 27, 2026 and jointly signed by ASRTI President, Air Commodore(rtd) Ademola Onitiju, mni  and the General Secretary, Mr. Olumide. Fidel Ohunayo offers a number of steps that need to be urgently taken to stabilize Nigeria’s aviation system.

It states that “Nigeria’s aviation sector stands at a critical inflection point. The Jet A1 crisis, the liquidity strain on airlines, and the cascading financial pressures across airports, concessionaires, and ground handlers have converged into a systemic emergency. The evidence is unambiguous: domestic Jet A1 prices have sharply diverged from international refinery‑gate benchmarks between January and April 2026, creating a distortion that threatens the survival of our airlines and, by extension, the entire aviation ecosystem.”

The letter says “a representative Platts/IATA‑style benchmark of $184.63 per barrel in mid‑April converts to approximately $1.161 per litre. At an illustrative exchange rate of ₦1,342 per dollar, this implies a refinery‑gate parity of roughly ₦1,559 per litre. Yet depot prices in Nigeria surged from ₦900 per litre in late February to ₦2,000 by late March and ₦3,000–₦3,300 by mid‑April. Even after accounting for logistics and exchange‑rate volatility, the domestic price was nearly double the global parity. February data tell the same story: while global parity implied ₦860–₦940 per litre, local prices escalated far beyond that range. This is not a global‑price problem alone; it is a widening local spread that must be confronted with urgency and precision.

At the same time, the sector faces a dangerous chain reaction triggered by debt concessions. Once the Federal Government opened the door to concessions for agencies, every stakeholder followed: airports warned of income losses, concessionaires sought relief, and ground handlers now threaten service suspension over ₦9bn owed. These pressures are real, but they must be sequenced correctly. If airlines collapse, the entire system collapses with them. Without airlines, there will be no agency receivables, no ground‑handling revenue, no concession income, and no jobs for thousands of Nigerians who depend on this sector for their livelihoods.”

ASRTI therefore advised that “the first principle must be clear: save the Ox before fixing the farm. The aviation sector cannot be rebuilt if its core operators—the airlines—are allowed to fail.

To stabilize the system, the first step is a corrective, time‑bound Jet A1 refund mechanism. This is not a subsidy but a temporary parity‑restoration measure. Government should contract six months of Jet A1 supply at negotiated parity prices, covering the hardship period of February to April 2026, and extend corrective supply for an additional four months while global markets stabilise. This mechanism must be transparent, audited, and publicly reconciled to ensure that refinery‑gate prices align with depot and gantry prices.

Next, a narrowly targeted emergency stabilisation package for airlines is essential. Airlines require short‑term, low‑interest bridge loans and working‑capital guarantees to cover immediate cash‑flow shortfalls and essential operational costs. These funds must be tied to strict milestones: safety compliance, payroll continuity, and uninterrupted essential services. Each airline should submit concise liability‑clean up plan detailing how funds will be used to retire or restructure verified debts to ground handlers, fuel suppliers, and agencies. All support must be conditional on independent verification and governed by a strict sunset clause to prevent the emergence of permanent subsidies.

Parallel measures must protect ground handlers, concessionaires, and other service providers while airlines are stabilised. Options include emergency liquidity advances, short‑term rent freezes or deferrals, and promissory commitments for verified renovation and investment losses. A 30% mandated haircut on specified debts—consistent with the approach already applied to agencies—may be necessary, but it must be used sparingly, only after independent valuation, and only for verified operational receivables. Any such relief must be paired with protections for frontline workers, including wage continuity and severance guarantees, and must include safeguards against moral hazard.

To ensure transparency and accountability, a neutral reconciliation vehicle should be established to process payments, advances, and concessions. Each beneficiary should receive a one‑page reconciliation statement, and an independent auditor should certify outcomes at the end of the relief window. No entity receiving support should be allowed to compromise safety, maintenance, training, or regulatory compliance.

Beyond emergency measures, structural reforms are indispensable. A comprehensive overhaul of the aviation charging ecosystem is overdue. A top global advisory firm should be engaged to audit airport charges, passenger levies, navigation fees, parking and ground‑handling tariffs, and other provider charges. This review must benchmark Nigeria against international standards, eliminate duplications, and produce a phased roadmap to reduce the share of taxes and charges embedded in fares. These reforms should be accompanied by revenue‑transition plans for affected operators to ensure sustainability.

To prevent future crises, a National Energy Price Protection Program (NEPPP) should be established. This rules‑based framework should include a volatility buffer fund, mandatory price transparency across the supply chain, and a logistics‑cost rationalisation audit. The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission should be empowered to investigate refinery‑to‑gantry spreads, airport delivery margins, and any anti‑competitive practices that distort pricing.

Looking beyond stabilization, Nigeria must embrace a medium‑term growth strategy—“Fly Nigeria, Fly”—to expand access, stimulate demand, and unlock the aviation sector’s economic multiplier. This programme should combine tax and charge rationalization, route‑development incentives, PPP‑driven regional airport upgrades, and investment in cargo and cold‑chain logistics. It should set measurable targets for passenger growth, connectivity expansion, and export development. It should also catalyse private investment in maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities, pilot and technical training, and domestic leasing to support sustainable fleet renewal.

Finally, communication must be clear, timely, and transparent. The public must understand that the corrective fuel mechanism is temporary, that liquidity support is conditional, and that structural reforms will follow once stability is restored.

An independent ombudsman should oversee the entire process to ensure fairness, credibility, and public trust.

Mr. President, Distinguished &Honourable Members, Honourable Minister: time is not on our side. The cost of inaction is far greater than the cost of decisive, targeted intervention. The aviation sector is not merely a mode of transport; it is a national economic artery. To allow it to fail would be to impose a far greater burden on the Nigerian people and economy.

The path forward is clear: stabilize the airlines, protect the ecosystem, restore fair pricing, enforce accountability, and build a stronger, more competitive aviation sector for the future. Save the goose now; rebuild the farm later.”