Several Azman flights were subject to delays over the weekend when the airline ran into jet fuel shortage. The issues affected the Nigerian carrier's domestic services throughout Sunday. With fuel in short supply, its price has increased. This market fluctuation also looks set to result in a rise in airfares in Nigeria.
Several canceled services
The issues for Azman Air pertaining to the jet fuel shortages began yesterday morning, when the carrier announced on Facebook that its 09:05 service from Abuja to Lagos had been delayed. This service operates as flight ZQ2325. FlightRadar24.com data for this service is minimal, with its status listed as 'unknown.'
Nonetheless, what is known is that ZQ2325 was far from the last Azman Air flight to be affected by the fuel shortage yesterday. Indeed, the airline also listed a further six domestic services throughout the day that would be subjected to delays, impacting other destinations such as Kano and Maiduguri. The airline explained:
"Azman Air's Abuja to Lagos flight, scheduled for 9:05 AM [yesterday], was delayed due to the scarcity of Jet A1 fuel (...) We hereby crave the indulgence of all our esteemed passengers affected to kindly bear with us."
Airfares set to rise as a result
As is typical for a resource shortage, the lack of available jet fuel in Nigeria has caused the remaining reserves to go up in price. According to All Africa, the cost has risen as high as ₦429 ($1.03) per liter in certain parts of the country. Meanwhile, IATA notes that the worldwide average is $0.55 per liter (based on $105.30/barrel).
As well as a scarcity of jet fuel, airlines are also facing a shortage in the supply of US dollars. All Africa notes that this currency is crucial to Nigerian carriers' operations, as they use it to "carry out most of their activities." Passengers will also feel the impacts, with the increases being passed down in higher fares.
Indeed, the base fare for hour-long Nigerian domestic flights will more than double, increasing from ₦22,000 ($53) to ₦50,000 ($120) as of March 1st. Azman Air stated:
"The recent increase in ticket fares is never with the intention of hurting or extorting, but for us to stay afloat in the continuous provision of safe and reliable flight experience to our esteemed passengers. The review became necessary due to the high cost of jet A1 fuel, forex scarcity, inflation, increase in ground handling charges, cost of buying and importation of spare parts."
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Azman Air in a nutshell
For those not familiar with the carrier, Azman Air has been operating services out of its hub at Nigeria's Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (KAN) since May 2014. It was initially founded four years earlier, back in 2010. Initially flying domestically, it has also operated international routes with a leased Airbus A330.
However, at present, Azman Air flies on a domestic-only basis, having ceased its use of the A330. According to data from ch-aviation.com, its present fleet consists of seven aircraft. This figure comprises two Boeing 737-300s, four 737-500s, and, perhaps most interestingly, a single ex-Virgin Atlantic Airbus A340-600.
What do you make of this situation? Have you ever flown with Azman Air? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments.