Worried about the continuous increase of aviation fuel with its attendant scarcity, the National Association of Aircrafts Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) has urged the federal government to intervene in order to save domestic carriers from collapse.
NAAPE noted that the hike in price of the product in the country and the scarcity are capable of crippling domestic operators and by extension, the Nigerian aviation industry.
The association in a statement signed by its President, Abednego Galadima, said it was very worried about this issue as it has made travelling very difficult for passengers and caused much disruption in the operations of domestic airlines.
“The industry is still recovering from the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and many airlines haven’t completely recovered.
“If this issue of scarcity is not immediately addressed by the federal government, not only would the airlines be negatively impacted, the ripple effect will be felt in the aviation downstream sector which may lead to job losses.
“It has been reported that the House of Representatives will convene a meeting of industry stakeholders with a view to solving the issue. But we don’t want it to stop at that.
“The executive arm of government, should as a matter of urgency, address the issues causing the scarcity and price hike so that normalcy can return to the industry,” the statement read in part.