Multiple Delays, Cancellations Leave Passengers Stranded at Airports

Aviation Turbine Kerosene, popularly known as aviation fuel, has skyrocketed in price, leading to overcrowded airports, as airlines reschedule and cancel flights at short notice, leaving passengers stranded.

This development occurred as the House of Representatives intervened in the aviation fuel crisis on Monday, as the Federal Government, airline operators and oil marketers agreed to fix the price of the product at N500/liter while the rising price crisis is being resolved.

The current price of aviation fuel is N670/liter and this cost has led to a crisis in the sector such as flight delays and cancellations due to the inability of airlines to easily access the commodity at that cost.

Also read: Fuel Scarcity: Airlines Threaten to Shut down in Three days

This has left several Passengers stranded and forced to send as multiple delays and cancellations hit airports by airlines over lack of aviation fuel.

Some passengers of Dana Air and Aero Contractors who pleaded anonymity said they slept at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Sunday night after their flights were delayed for several hours. They recalled their ordeal and painful, frustrating and time wasting. “We had to sleep in Abuja airport and missed by appointment amidst this fuel ruckus. They made the aim of going to Lagos futile for me”.

The passengers said the airline claimed that the cost of aviation fuel had made it tough for operators to access the commodity and that the issue warranted flight delays and cancellations.

Another passenger of the Airline, Mary, also got stranded at the Abuja airport after flight from Lagos was delayed for about seven hours due to the challenge of aviation fuel.

For about two weeks, airlines and travelers in Nigeria had been faced with hectic aviation activities. Operators in the sector had blamed this on the hike in aviation fuel, while marketers, on the other hand, insisted that the commodity was available.

Virtually all domestic airlines have rescheduled their morning flights at the Lagos airport indefinitely, a development that has left many passengers stranded at airports across Nigeria.

The flight disruptions on Monday made many passengers at various airports to make alternative arrangements, either to travel by road or halt their trips.

They decried the crisis in the aviation sector and urged the government to intervene considering the significance of the industry to the country’s economy.