NAAPE Warns of Imminent Safety Risks, Job Losses Amid Jet Fuel Crisis

The National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) has raised a red flag over the escalating Jet A1  crisis in Nigeria, which has reached a boiling point.

The association’s stance highlights a dangerous intersection between economic instability and physical flight safety.

NAAPE is alarmed by early indicators that some operators are already restructuring their operations in response to this crisis.

The recent announcement by Rano Air of a reduction in operational routes, it said, is a clear signal of the economic damage being wrought.

Should the situation remain unaddressed, NAAPE anticipated further route suspensions, potential operational cessations by some carriers, and significant job losses across the aviation sector.

Given that aviation is a critical driver of economic activity, trade, tourism, and connectivity in Nigeria, the downstream consequences for the national economy would be severe and far-reaching.

The group, in a statement on May 10, 2026, by its national president, Captain Bunmi Gindeh, noted that when fuel prices jump from ₦900 to over ₦3,300 per litre (a 270%+ increase), airlines face extreme liquidity squeezes.

NAAPE warns that financial suffocation can lead to cutting corners in non-fuel areas, such as deferred non-critical maintenance or reduced crew welfare.

According to him, the persistent disruptions to flight schedules caused by the Jet A1 supply shortfall have led to significant extensions of crew duty time beyond planned limits.

He said, “For our members, pilots and engineers alike, this translates directly into elevated fatigue levels, a condition that is universally recognised in aviation as a critical safety hazard. Fatigue impairs cognitive function, slows reaction time, and, most dangerously, erodes situational awareness, a pilot or engineer’s most essential tool in managing the complexities of flight operations.”

“The safety of every passenger aboard is therefore placed at measurable risk when crew members are compelled to operate under these conditions.”

Beyond the immediate safety concerns, the fuel crisis, Gindeh noted, is inflicting significant financial strain on airline operators, adding grounded or delayed aircraft generate no revenue, yet fixed operational costs persist.

This economic pressure, according to him, invariably filters down to “our members in the form of delayed salary payments, wage reductions, and general deterioration of welfare conditions.”

“A workforce operating under financial stress is a workforce distracted, and distraction in an aviation environment is, once again, a precursor to compromised safety”, he said.

The group advocated for the safety and welfare of its members and, by extension, the flying public.

It called on the Federal Government, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), fuel suppliers, and all relevant stakeholders to treat the resolution of this Jet A1 supply crisis as a matter of urgent national priority.

Wole Shadare