The Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ART) yesterday urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the 300 per cent rise in aviation fuel (Jet A1) prices.

In a letter to Tinubu, ART President Ademola Onitiju and Secretary-General, Olumide Ohunayo said the Jet A1 crisis, the liquidity strain on airlines, and the cascading financial pressures across airports, concessionaires, and ground handlers deserved the government’s intervention.

The group said: “The sector faces a dangerous chain reaction triggered by debt concessions. “Once the Federal Government opened the door to concessions for agencies, every stakeholder followed suit: airports warned of income losses, concessionaires sought relief, and ground handlers now threatened service suspension over ₦9bn owed. “These pressures are real, but they must be sequenced correctly. If airlines collapse, the entire system collapses with them.

“Without airlines, there will be no agency receivables, no ground‑handling revenue, no concession income, and no jobs for thousands of Nigerians who depend on this sector for their livelihoods.”

To find an immediate solution to the crisis, ART urged the government to contract six months of Jet A1 supply at negotiated parity prices, covering the hardship period of February to April 2026, and extend corrective supply for an additional four months while global markets stabilise.