Air Peace warned passengers on Saturday that limited availability of aviation fuel was disrupting departures nationwide and that its Abuja–London service has been temporarily adjusted to three weekly flights until 01 July, 2026.
“At this time, fuel availability remains limited, which has impacted scheduled departures,” the carrier said, adding that “Due to the current Jet Al (aviation fuel) supply constraints affecting flight operations nationwide and around the world, we wish to inform you that our Abuja-London service has been temporarily adjusted to three weekly flights until 01 July, 2026.” The airline said full operational frequency on the London service is scheduled to resume from 01 July 2026 and urged affected passengers to contact its call centre for rescheduling at no additional cost.
The move came a day after the federal government approved emergency debt relief for airlines: the president signed off on a 30 percent reprieve on outstanding debts owed to federal aviation agencies, the administration disclosed Thursday. The waiver covers accumulated obligations such as parking fees to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and navigational charges to the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency.
Allen Onyema, the founder of Air Peace, told television viewers on Friday that the relief was welcome but did not solve a wider cash squeeze. “We appreciate Mr President for being magnanimous enough to offer us a 30 per cent reprieve… That’s a very welcome development,” Onyema said, while warning that the industry still faced an acute fuel-price shock.
Onyema described a leap in Jet A1 prices that has reshaped airline economics. “Before the crisis, we were buying fuel at about N900 per litre. Now it has risen to between N2,700 and N2,900, with some selling as high as N3,300 to N3,500,” he said, and added that the rise has been visible between February and April when prices reportedly climbed from N900 per litre to as much as N3,300 per litre.
Those numbers matter at scale: airlines, Onyema said, have been “flying to pay fuel marketers only, and you don’t want to compromise safety,” an observation that helps explain why carriers had earlier threatened to suspend operations nationwide on April 20 because running costs had become unsustainable. The government intervened and urged airlines to reconsider that planned suspension.
Even after the debt relief, Onyema warned the crisis could deepen. “For the avoidance of doubt, I want Nigerians to know that the airlines are not after the government. Government is not our problem,” he said, before pressing his most urgent point: “We want to meet with Mr President because as I speak to you now, about two more airlines want to go down by Monday. It is very urgent that we meet with Mr President so that he will hear from us,” Onyema said.
Air Peace told customers it was working with partners to limit disruptions: “Please be assured that we are actively engaging with relevant partners to resolve the situation as swiftly as possible and minimise disruptions to your travel plans,” the airline said, adding, “As supply conditions improve, we will promptly restore our full schedule and keep you informed with timely updates.” It also offered passengers its thanks: “We sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding during this period.”
The tension is sharp: the 30 percent debt reprieve reduces a known liability to federal agencies, but it does not lower the price carriers pay at the pump — a jump Onyema framed as a structural shock. With aviation fuel commonly trading between N2,700 and N2,900 per litre for many suppliers, and some offering N3,300–N3,500, operators that budgeted on pre-crisis prices face immediate cash shortfalls that the reprieve does not close.
If the government’s relief is not followed by rapid, practical fixes to fuel supply and pricing, Onyema’s timeline is the essential one: airlines that lack cash flows or access to affordable Jet A1 risk grounding in days. The question the industry now poses sharply to officials is whether the relief already granted will be matched by measures that stop carriers from collapsing before July arrives and Air Peace can resume its full London schedule.
