Nigerian Airlines Face Fuel Supply Challenges in 2026

Between January and August 2026, airlines in Nigeria received an estimated 749.2 million litres of aviation fuel, according to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority’s monthly fact sheet. Daily domestic aviation turbine kerosene receipts averaged about 3.1 million litres, with supplies dropping to 1.6 million litres per day in February before recovering to 3.1 million litres in August.

The report indicates that fuel availability is crucial for airline operations, with recent disruptions in Abuja attributed to debts owed by airline operators to fuel marketers. The price of aviation fuel surged from N900 to N3,500 per litre during the Middle East crisis but later stabilized around N2,500.

Airline operators reported that fuel costs now constitute 45% to 50% of total operating expenses, with Dr. Allen Onyema, founder of Air Peace, stating that the cost for a single flight has increased from N3 million to between N12 million and N13 million. Disruptions at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport were linked to the unavailability of Jet A1 fuel.