(NIGERIA) — Nigerian authorities capped jet fuel prices, opened a 30-day credit window for airline fuel payments and began emergency talks with carriers and marketers as soaring aviation fuel costs threatened flight disruptions across the country.

The moves came after airlines warned that the latest fuel-price shock was pushing the sector toward shutdowns, capacity cuts and higher fares. Government officials also said regulators would mediate disputes between airlines and oil marketers as pressure spread through the market.

President Bola Tinubu approved 30% relief on airlines’ outstanding obligations to aviation agencies and directed stakeholders to agree on a “fair” fuel price within 72 hours to prevent a sector-wide shutdown. Officials paired that order with price benchmarks for major airports and the credit arrangement for fuel purchases.

Those benchmarks came from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, which said jet fuel should sell for NGN1,760-1,988 per litre in Lagos and NGN1,809-2,037 per litre in Abuja. The authority used prices from April 17-23, 2026.

The intervention followed a steep climb in Jet A1 costs. Industry reports said prices rose from about NGN900 per litre on February 28 to NGN3,300 per litre on April 16.

That jump left airlines facing an increase of more than 270% in fuel costs. Carriers were also contending with foreign-exchange volatility, high maintenance costs and wider economic instability.

Pressure had already reached daily operations before the government stepped in. Airlines were rescheduling or canceling flights and cutting routes they no longer considered viable.

The National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers said fuel scarcity had caused flight delays and route adjustments. The group tied the disruption directly to shortages and the rising cost of supply.

Captain Bunmi Giwa, president of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, said the shortages were pushing crews beyond planned limits. Giwa said the pressure raised fatigue concerns and could breach rest regulations.

Rano Air said steep jet fuel prices had made some routes commercially unsustainable. That judgment reflected a market in which operating a scheduled flight no longer made financial sense on parts of the network.

Nigeria’s domestic air network carries unusual weight because it links cities where road travel is often slow or insecure. When fuel supply tightens or prices surge, the damage spreads beyond airline balance sheets to passenger mobility and business travel.

Flight connectivity sits at the center of that strain. Delays, cancellations and route adjustments can cut access between commercial centers and state capitals in a short period, particularly when airlines already face thin margins and volatile operating costs.

The government’s response targeted both price and timing. By setting benchmark ranges in Lagos and Abuja, officials tried to anchor sales around rates carriers could absorb more easily than the levels reported in mid-April.

The credit arrangement addressed cash flow as much as supply. Allowing airlines to buy fuel now and pay within a 30-day credit window gave carriers more time to manage working capital while negotiations continued.

Regulators also moved into the dispute between airlines and oil marketers rather than leaving the parties to bargain alone. That mediation role, combined with the president’s 72 hours directive, showed the government treating the standoff as an immediate operational risk.

The price benchmarks underscored how concentrated the problem had become at the country’s main aviation hubs. Lagos, the busiest commercial center, and Abuja, the federal capital, both sat far below the NGN3,300 per litre level cited for April 16.

Airlines had warned that without intervention, the market could force more severe responses than schedule changes. Capacity cuts would shrink available seats, while higher ticket prices would shift more of the burden to passengers.

Foreign-exchange volatility added another layer of pressure because many airline costs, including maintenance inputs, are tied to hard currency. Even before fuel spikes, that exposure had left domestic carriers vulnerable to swings in the wider economy.

Maintenance costs also rose alongside fuel, tightening the economics of aircraft deployment. A route that remained marginal at lower Jet A1 prices could turn loss-making quickly once fuel and other inputs moved together.

The government’s 30% relief on obligations to aviation agencies aimed at that broader cost burden. Reducing outstanding dues did not solve the fuel market on its own, but it cut one part of the financial pressure at a moment when airlines were warning of disruption.

Lagos and Abuja benchmarks covered a narrow period, April 17-23, 2026, but the move gave the market a reference point after the sharp run-up from late February to mid-April. Officials used those numbers while seeking a negotiated fuel price that stakeholders would accept.

Pilots and engineers had already framed the issue as a safety concern as well as a commercial one. Giwa’s warning about crew fatigue placed operational planning under scrutiny at a time when carriers were juggling shortages, delays and route changes.

That concern matters in a network where aircraft and crews often rotate across several domestic sectors in a day. Fuel scarcity can scramble those rotations quickly, extending duty periods and complicating compliance with planned rest schedules.

Airlines now face a test of whether the government’s emergency package can hold schedules together long enough for a price agreement to emerge. Officials sought to prevent a sector-wide shutdown; carriers were trying to keep aircraft flying in a market hit by a fuel-price shock, a reported rise of more than 270%, and costs that reached NGN3,300 per litre within weeks.

The immediate question is whether the benchmarks, mediation and delayed payment terms can steady a system that many passengers rely on when road journeys are difficult or unsafe. Until then, the warning signs remain visible in delayed departures, altered routes and an industry trying to avoid deeper cuts.