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By Chinelo Obogo
Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has cancelled plans to shut down flight operations from today, Daily Sun can report.
In a statement from the president, Abdulmunaf Sarina, the association said following a promise by the Federal Government to urgently intervene in the crises facpng airlines due to high cost of JetA1, it has decided to suspend its plans to shut down operations from today (Monday).
The AON had over the weekend said its members will commence indefinite suspension of flights from Monday, May 9, over the high cost of aviation fuel, also known as jet A1, currently selling for N700 per litre.
Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, had appealed to the airlines not to shut down operations, assuring that the Federal Government will intervene in the matter.
On Sunday evening, the body released a statement saying it has decided to accede to the Minister’s plea to shelve the planned shut down of operations even as it said it also considered the difficulty passengers will face in the event of a shutdown.
The AON said: “We wish to inform the general public that further to numerous calls from the highest echelons in government with promises to urgently intervene in the crises being faced by airlines due to the astronomic and continuously rising cost of JetA1, that the AON has acceded to requests to withdraw the action for the time being while we allow for a fresh round of dialogue with government in the hope of reaching an amicable solution.
“We have also reached this decision with the highest consideration for our esteemed customers, who have been faced with uncertainty over the last few days and to enable them to travel to their various destinations for the time being during the period of discussions with relevant authorities.
