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ABUJA, FCT — By Prime Brief Media

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has intervened directly to prevent the collapse of Nigeria's domestic aviation industry, approving a package of debt waivers and ordering an urgent review of the tax and fee structure that operators say has made air travel commercially unviable.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, confirmed the presidential intervention during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. The announcement comes just days before a threatened shutdown by the Airline Operators of Nigeria, which had warned that its members could no longer sustain operations due to the crippling cost of jet fuel and what the association described as "exploitative charges" imposed by various aviation agencies.

"The President has listened to the cries of the industry and has acted decisively," Keyamo stated. "He has approved, in principle, the write-off of a significant portion of the legacy debts owed by domestic carriers to aviation agencies. Furthermore, he has directed the Ministry of Finance and the Federal Inland Revenue Service to undertake an immediate review of all taxes and fees applied to domestic air tickets with a view to providing relief to Nigerian travellers."

The minister did not disclose the exact value of the debt being written off, but industry sources estimate that domestic airlines collectively owe tens of billions of naira to agencies including the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. These debts have accumulated over years of challenging operating conditions and have been a persistent source of friction between the airlines and regulatory bodies.

The immediate trigger for the presidential intervention was the dramatic escalation in aviation fuel prices, which have risen from approximately ₦900 per litre to between ₦1,600 and ₦1,800 per litre in the past 50 days. The surge is directly linked to the ongoing military confrontation in the Middle East, which has disrupted global energy supply chains and driven crude oil prices sharply higher.

The Airline Operators of Nigeria, in a statement responding to the President's intervention, expressed cautious optimism. "We welcome the President's intervention and the recognition that this industry is at a breaking point," the statement read. "We will engage constructively with the Ministry to ensure these relief measures are implemented swiftly and transparently."

Aviation analysts note that while debt relief and tax reviews will provide immediate breathing room, the fundamental challenge of high fuel costs remains unresolved. The Dangote Refinery, which produces jet fuel locally, could potentially supply domestic airlines at prices below international benchmarks, but contractual and pricing arrangements between the refinery, fuel marketers, and airlines remain opaque.

Prime Brief Media continues to monitor developments in the aviation sector and will provide updates on the implementation of the President's relief measures and their impact on airfares and industry stability.