Aviation fuel scarcity bites harder in Nigeria as Emirates Airline refuels in Ghana | Nigeria Newspaper - Latest Nigeria News paper

14.9.16

Aviation fuel scarcity bites harder in Nigeria as Emirates Airline refuels in Ghana

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Aviation fuel scarcity bites harder in Nigeria as Emirates Airline refuels in Ghana
As the ongoing scarcity of aviation fuel in Nigeria continues to bite harder, Emirates Airline has started refueling its aircraft in Accra, Ghana. This development had also forced the company to cut its twice-daily flights to Lagos and Abuja.
The decision was followed by a substantial deflation in Ghana’s jet prices amid tax reform last month, according to the Ghana Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors.
UEA-based newspaper, The National reports that other foreign airlines flying to Nigeria have also started to fill up elsewhere.
Air France-KLM said it had refuelled abroad in “very exceptional cases” by juggling suppliers and stomaching extra costs.
Germany’s Lufthansa is loading more fuel in Frankfurt for its Lagos flight, where the ground staff doubt their ability to refuel for the final destination of Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea, an executive said. The airline did not respond to official requests for comment.
“The economy is crying out for investment, and now it is going to be even harder for anyone to visit,” said John Ashbourne, an economist with Capital Economics.
“Who is going to want to park a billion dollars in a country that you can’t even easily fly to? It sends the worst possible signal”, he added.
Earlier, Spain’s Iberia and United Airlines have already cancelled their Nigeria services and two local carriers have also halted operations.
Other international airlines responded by boosting ticket prices within Nigeria, charging as much as US$2,000 for an economy class ticket to Europe to cut losses – more than double the cost of a Lagos ticket bought abroad.
British Airways, a popular choice for well-heeled Nigerians, said it is using smaller aircraft on its Lagos-London route, as did Air France-KLM.

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