Airline operators insists on increase in air fare
By FAVOUR NNABUGWU
Airline operators of Nigeria (AON) have said that there is no going back on airfare increase unless the authorities concerned and oil markets are ready to maintain stability in the prices of aviation fuel .
Captain Mohammed Joji, AON Secretary-General at a meeting with Consumer Protection Council (CPC) over the recent increase in air fare at the council’s office in Abuja submitted that the statues quo could only be maintained if aviation fuel goes back to normalcy.
Joji said it would take the intervention of the Federal Government, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC); Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), Pipeline and Petroleum Marketing Company (PPMC) and other stakeholders including the oil marketers to bring the price down to what it was before the increase.
A litre of aviation fuel, also known as Jet A1, sells for N 115 in some states before the increase, which jerked it up to N130. There was an increase made in September 2010 when the price was increased by three percent and this month by another 10 per cent while the airlines increase flight fee by 20 per cent. The increase will make an hour flight to now cost a minimum of N 25,000.
Joji told the CPC that the council should first address the aviation fuel increase and invite all the stakeholders concerned else they will not reverse the increase.
“We are calling on the Federal Government and Nigerians to intervene before the aviation industry collapses because of this development otherwise there is little or nothing the airline operators can do about the increment”
Mrs Ify Umenyin, CPC Director-General said that the council had to invite airline operators, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and other airport stakeholders for a meeting on the flight fee increase and the unsatisfactory service consumers get from the operators. Umenyin said, “No matter what the situation may be, we do not want air fare to go beyond N 18,000. Already consumers are complaining about the services of the airliners and we do not want to push their endurance any further”.
