A group of aviation industry professionals and operators under the banner of Concerned Aviation Stakeholders has called on the Federal Government and state governments to take urgent action to address the escalating price of Jet A1 aviation fuel, warning that the current fuel cost environment poses a direct threat to the logistics and affordability of the 2026 Hajj airlift for Nigerian Muslim pilgrims.
The group's statement, reported by the News Agency of Nigeria, identified the surge in Jet A1 prices as the central challenge facing airlines contracted to operate the Hajj airlift — an annual operation that transports hundreds of thousands of Nigerian pilgrims to and from Saudi Arabia in a compressed timeframe, requiring a sustained high-frequency operation that is acutely sensitive to fuel cost fluctuations.
The Scale of the Fuel Cost Problem
Jet A1 aviation fuel prices in Nigeria have reached between ₦1,900 and ₦3,300 per litre in 2026, with the upper end of that range reflecting the impact of the global supply disruption caused by the Strait of Hormuz closure — the same shock that United Nigeria Airlines Chairman Prof. Obiora Okonkwo cited as the proximate cause of the carrier's ₦10 billion in losses.
For the Hajj airlift, the fuel cost challenge is compounded by the nature of the operation. Hajj flights are long-haul international services between Nigerian cities — primarily Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Port Harcourt — and Jeddah or Madinah in Saudi Arabia. At those sector lengths, fuel represents a significantly higher proportion of total operating cost than on domestic routes. A sustained surge in Jet A1 prices therefore affects Hajj operations more severely on a per-passenger basis.
The Stakes for Nigerian Pilgrims
The Concerned Aviation Stakeholders group warned that without government intervention, the cost of Hajj travel would rise materially — either through increased airlift fares charged to the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, or through a reduction in the number of pilgrims that contracted airlines can affordably transport within their allotted capacity. Nigeria has one of the largest Hajj quotas of any country in the world, with hundreds of thousands of pilgrims allocated places for the annual pilgrimage.
What the Stakeholders Are Asking For
The stakeholders called on both federal and state governments to consider targeted interventions including subsidised aviation fuel for Hajj flights, a temporary waiver of levies and charges on aviation fuel used for the airlift, and direct engagement with fuel suppliers to establish a dedicated Hajj fuel supply arrangement at a fixed or capped price for the duration of the airlift season. The appeal adds another dimension to the aviation fuel crisis that has already threatened domestic flight suspensions, triggered the NCAA's No Pay No Service enforcement action, and driven United Nigeria Airlines to disclose ₦10 billion in losses.
