The General Manager, Total Energies Nigeria, Mr Rabiu Abdulmutalib, has attributed increase in the price of Jet-A1 to continuous importation of the product.
Abdulmutalib made this known in a statement in Lagos on Sunday.
Jet-A1 is an aviation turbine fuel designed for use in aircraft powered by gas-turbine engines.
The most commonly used fuels for commercial aviation are Jet-A and Jet-A1, which are produced to an international specification.
The general manager noted that a litre of aviation fuel in the domestic scene was sold as high as N305 and N315 per litre, depending on the airport an airline was buying from.
Abdulmutalib added that the inability of airline operators to have easy access to foreign exchange and airport taxes of the product, among others had also led to its skyrocketing price in the country.
“The inability of local refineries to refine the product, high investment in logistics and high cost of aviation fuel handling equipment like refuellers.
“Others are the hydrant dispenser/servicers and filtration systems are also contributed to the sordid situation in the local market.
“To address the current situation, I want to canvass for proper coordination among relevant government agencies in monitoring and enforcement of all standards along the supply chain.
“Some of the agencies include the Department of Petroleum Resources, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
“Others are the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), amongst others,” he said.
Abdulmutalib added that unless the aformentioned challenges were resolved, the price of the product would continue to rise in the country.
He also urged government agencies to adhere strictly to international and local regulations in handling JET-A1 from refinery to aircraft to avoid contamination of the product.
He said this would further check the competencies and capacities of laboratories contracted for testing parameters of the product in the country.
Abdulmutalib also appealed for government intervention for easy access to forex, especially aviation fuel importers.
He called for sensitisation on the monitoring of filtration phase-out from all aviation handling systems in the country before the July, 2023 deadline.
