Posted by By UCHE USIM on
Air travellers Thursday were subjected to endless hours of delay as airlines could not get the needed aviation fuel (Jet A1) to carry out their flight operations.
..Airlines hike fares
Air travellers Thursday were subjected to endless hours of delay as airlines could not get the needed aviation fuel (Jet A1) to carry out their flight operations.
The scarcity forced airlines to cancel flights out of Lagos. This in turn detained passengers in other airports across the country as they could not get flights to Lagos.
The situation was worsened by the fact that most airlines' base is Lagos and as such flights originate from Lagos before connecting to other states.
The few operators who managed to get little quantity exploited passengers, as they were made to pay additional fares of up to N2,000, which the airlines aptly called fuel surcharge.
For instance, the Lagos-Benin flight which was about N8,000 suddenly became N10,000.
Some passengers who got to the airport with normal flight fares were disappointed as the ticketing officers told them of the sudden hike in fares.
One of the passengers, Mrs Mary Philips said she had been at the queue of one of the airlines to purchase her ticket to Abuja only to be told there is a fuel surcharge to be paid. 'I was shocked on hearing that. Why would an airline do such a thing without prior notice? This is sad", she said.
Another passenger, Paschal Emmanuel, said the development had dealt a hard blow on air travellers, calling on the authorities concerned to look into the issue immediately.
An airline operator who spoke under the condition of anonymity said it was not the making of the airlines to increase the fares, but rather something they did in reaction to the dictates of the market forces. He said the scarcity came with a sudden hike in the pump price of Jet A1.
The scarcity, Saturday Sun learnt, began like child's play in Lagos on Wednesday and when airline operators thought it would fizzle out by Thursday, they were shocked that reverse was the case. The scarcity persisted. The fuel suppliers were said to have run out of the stock, which immediately took its toll on the airlines.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, airlines were forced to cancel the early morning flights and best case scenario, had them combined.
Consequently, hundreds of passengers were left stranded at both the international wing of the airport and at the new terminal (MMA 2).
Reacting to the situation, the management of Virgin Nigeria in a statement said it was working assiduously to ensure the situation is brought under control.
'Due to the current scarcity of Aviation Fuel (Jet A1) in Lagos, Virgin Nigeria's domestic and regional flights are experiencing delays, diversions and in some extreme cases, flights have been cancelled. We are making intense efforts to ensure that we operate our optimum flight schedule under these circumstances. Normal flight operations will resume as soon as there is availability of aviation fuel."
Also, Arik Air said it was working out modalities to bring the situation under control.
The airline's Spokesman, Gbemiga Ogunleye said the situation was already improving and that normal flight schedule was being operated.