Nigerian airline to suspend flights due to soaring jet fuel prices

JAKARTA - Nigerian airlines plan to suspend flights from April 20 due to soaring fuel prices amid the war in the Middle East.

Citing the Director of the Association of Nigerian Aviation Operators (AON) Abdulmunaf Sarina, The Guardian Nigeria newspaper said the price of avtur per liter jumped almost 300 percent from 900 naira to 3,300 naira (from Rp11,529 to Rp42,272).

As reported by ANTARA from Sputnik, Friday, April 17, the increase burdens the airline's operations and has the potential to disrupt domestic flight services in Nigeria.

The conflict in the Middle East erupted since the United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran on February 28, including in Tehran, which caused damage and killed civilians.

Iran then retaliated by attacking Israeli territory as well as US military facilities in the Middle East.

On April 11, Iran and the United States held talks in Islamabad after a two-week ceasefire agreement, but the talks ended without results.

Tensions escalated after the US Navy on April 13 began a blockade of maritime traffic to and from Iranian ports around the Strait of Hormuz.

The strait is a strategic route that accounts for about 20 percent of the world's oil, petroleum products, and liquefied natural gas supplies.

The US government said non-Iranian vessels could still pass through the Strait of Hormuz as long as they did not pay a levy to Tehran, while Iran has not announced an official policy on imposing the fee.