Low quality aviation fuel (JET A1) destroys aircraft engines that cost airlines several millions of dollars to fix, and this threatens the safety of air travel.
Noggie Meggison, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) Chairman, raised the alarm at a meeting of industry stakeholders orgnised by the Aviation Round Table (ART) in Lagos.
European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) recently released a circular warning that aviation fuel coming out of Nigeria needs to be checked to ensure it does not endanger lives.
A brand new aircraft engine costs over $1 million and aside bird strikes, poor quality aviation fuel does incalculable damage to it.
Jet A1 and household kerosene look similar but they possess different specifications and require different levels of handling, storage, and transportation by the Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN).
MOMAN is audited annually and certified by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Joint Inspection Group (JIG).
Meggison reiterated that substituting kerosene for aviation fuel damages the engines of airplanes, which result in frequent change of the engines.
Meggison, who is also the Managing Director of Jed Air, equally warned that “weather of 1,000 metres will ground aircraft. The world has gone digital. The landing aids don’t function. Margin of weather today will ground flights.”
MOMAN had in 2011 petitioned former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, alleging that some Nigerians were selling kerosene as aviation fuel.