President Bola Tinubu has approved a 30 percent reduction in the debts owed by domestic airlines to federal aviation agencies, providing relief to operators facing escalating operational costs.
The approval follows recent indications by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, that the Federal Government was considering measures to support the struggling aviation sector, particularly amid the sharp rise in Jet A1 fuel prices.
According to Reuters, Keyamo confirmed the development on Thursday night after receiving official communication from the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila.
“This evening, Mr. president has definitely approved a 30 percent discount,” the minister told journalists.
The measure will reduce the financial burden on local carriers by lowering outstanding liabilities, including parking charges payable to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), navigational fees owed to the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), and other regulatory levies.
Airlines operating under the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) had earlier raised concerns over unsustainable fuel costs, warning of a possible shutdown of operations from 20–April–2026. The group noted that aviation fuel prices surged from approximately N900 per litre in late February to about N3,300 per litre, representing an increase of more than 300 percent.
The planned suspension of services was later shelved after the minister intervened, urging operators to maintain operations while the government explored solutions.
Chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, who has consistently highlighted the crisis, attributed the spike in fuel prices to what he described as excessive pricing by marketers and called for regulatory scrutiny.
“The truth is that the marketers must be brought to book to explain how they got about the 300 percent increase,” he said.
“Even Dangote is surprised, because what he is selling to us still remains the cheapest, and some of them lift from there. So why the astronomical rise?”
Onyema also cautioned that many airlines are operating under intense financial pressure, relying on borrowing to procure fuel while striving to meet safety standards and maintenance requirements.
