Local airlines under the aegis of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) have suspended their threat to shut down flight operations over the outrageous hike in the price ofairline fuel called Jet-A1 fuel.
AON Vice President, Allen Onyema announced the latest development in a statement released on Friday.
Recall that March 15, AON had threatened to shut down their operations on March 18 if the government could not find a lasting solution for the marketers to reduce the Jet-A1 price.
Read Also: Nigerian Airlines To Shut Down In Three Days Over Aviation Fuel Scarcity
Giving an update, Mr Onyema, Air Peace chairman, explained that airlines collectively agreed to suspend the shutdown to avert further disruption in economic activities, considering the key role air transportation plays in the logistic mix.
He stressed;
We are not going to shut down flight operations because discussions are ongoing between us and the relevant players in the oil and gas value chain to find a lasting solution to the problem. We are negatively affected by the increasing price of aviation fuel, but as patriotic investors, we will not take any action that will paralyse the economy.
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Onyema added;
As patriotic Nigerians and investors, we will continue to engage the government and its agencies on the way out of this problem.
The Air Peace CEO noted that the decision taken by the local carriers was a patriotic contribution to President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
He further expressed;
Since the Buhari administration came on board, it has shown sufficient commitment to improving the aviation industry. The president signed an Executive Order that granted waivers on aircraft and its spares and other interventions, the least we could do is to continue to engage until challenges in the sector are resolved.
Read Also: Airline Operators, Marketers Agree On Aviation Fuel Price
The Air Peace boss said airline operators were presently considering scaling down on the number of flight frequencies to minimise the cost of operations.
Mr Onyema added that local carriers were not considering any further increase in airfares not to shut out ordinary Nigerians who desire to travel by air.
Via NAN.
