Aviation stakeholders have called on the federal and state governments to intervene in rising aviation fuel prices that threaten the 2026 hajj pilgrimage. The group, Concerned Aviation Stakeholders, warned that Jet A1 fuel costs have surged from N1,000 per litre to as much as N3,000 at Nigerian departure points including Lagos, Kano, Abuja, Maiduguri, Yola, Sokoto and Birnin Kebbi. This represents a 200 per cent increase from the benchmark used when airlines signed hajj contracts.
Bukalti Usaman Gamawa, president of the group, said airlines now face massive financial strain, with some likely to operate at break-even or at a loss. He noted that a single aircraft using 70,000 litres per flight would require N70 million at the old rate but now needs N175 million. On the return leg from Saudi Arabia, fuel prices have risen from $0.68 to $1.40 per litre, a more than 105 per cent increase.
Mr Gamawa stated that without urgent policy measures—such as pricing regulation, forex support or strategic fuel supply—airlines may not be able to operate or sustain return flights. He said the federal and state governments no longer provide direct hajj subsidies, but stakeholders believe emergency support mechanisms are needed. "If they are forced to absorb the increased fuel cost, many may be operating at a loss. If pilgrims are made to absorb it, Hajj fares will rise sharply," he said.
The same stakeholders warning of hajj flight risks due to fuel costs previously accepted the end of government subsidies, yet now expect emergency interventions. Airlines based in Nigeria signed contracts under specific fuel price assumptions, and those conditions have changed. Pilgrims may face sharply higher fares if carriers pass on the full cost. No mechanism exists to shield them from these market shifts.
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