Aviation fuel scarcity leads to several flight delays and cancellations at Lagos airport

PASSENGERS at Nigeria's Murtala Mohammed airport in Lagos have suffered severe delays and cancellations over the last 24 hours as airlines complain of a shortage of aviation fuel that has affected their operations.

Reeling from the effects of limited crude oil refining capacity, Nigeria's aviation industry regularly suffers from fuel shortages that can sometimes ground flights for days. Today, the Lagos airport is going through the same fate as domestic airline operators could only operate a few flights due to insufficient aviation fuel.

One airline source said that the problem was caused by the inability of petroleum tanker drivers to lift aviation fuel from Apapa as a result of gridlock in the area. He noted that the problem, which was more pronounced on Sunday, was, however, gradually abating as some marketers had been able to start trucking fuel to the airport.

MedView spokesman Obuke Oyibhota, said: “There is a general scarcity of aviation fuel. We have gotten a way around it to enable us continue our operations during the period but we don’t know how long it will last.”

Air Peace spokesman Chris Iwarah, added: "The scarcity is affecting flights to some extent at the moment but we are still relying on our stock and the arrangement we made with the suppliers. Nobody knows whether it may become more difficult  but for now we are trying to see how we can manage the plans we have on ground to ensure that the impact is only minimal."

Passengers said that the situation was unfortunate and appealed to the authorities to find a lasting solution to the problem. It is not yet clear if the federal government will intervene in the matter yet.