? Millions lost daily to road trucking as airports operate below safety standards

? Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt pipeline tank farms rot away

? Airlines use five million litres daily, depend on Lagos for 80% supply

? Experts wary of ?imminent? fuel contamination, urge PPP model for pipeline revival

About 33 years after the rupture of Nigeria?s aviation fuel pipeline network, the country?s multi-billion-naira aviation sector continues to rely on trucks for the supply of Jet A1 to airlines, a practice that experts describe as unsafe, inefficient, and costly.

Despite contributing approximately $2.5 billion yearly to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and hosting 15 scheduled carriers, operations across Nigeria?s airports have remained hampered by outdated infrastructure and sub-industry standards.

Investigations by The Guardian revealed that although Nigeria once had an elaborate pipeline and fuel farm network linking refineries to major airports in Lagos, Kano, and Port Harcourt, the facilities have been abandoned for over three decades.

For instance, at the Port Harcourt International Airport, a 25-million-litre fuel farm connected to the Port Harcourt Refining Company lies idle.

Also, the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, has a 35-million-litre facility formerly linked to the Kaduna Refinery, while the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, once had a 98-kilometre pipeline hydrant system stretching from the Atlas Cove through Mosimi/Ejigbo to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPCL) inland depot ? now derelict.

The last recorded use of the Lagos pipeline was in 1992. It ruptured and was subsequently shut down by the military government due to fears that it could be exploited for sabotage. Since then, successive administrations have ignored the facility or its rehabilitation, which is now at a cut-throat price to replace the entire network.

A source close to an oil marketing firm disclosed that between four and five million litres of Jet A1 are sold daily to airlines nationwide, with about 80 per cent consumed at Lagos Airport alone, mostly by foreign carriers. On average, about 20 foreign airlines lift roughly 20,000 litres each for return flights, all trucked in through the city?s already congested roads.

Experts estimated that restoring the pipeline could remove up to 100 trucks daily from Lagos roads, reducing traffic congestion, accidents, and fuel logistics costs.

Reports obtained from one of the fuel marketers indicated that there are 46 fuel marketers across the country?s 26 airports, a massive growth from six, less than six years ago.

No fewer than 30 of the fuel marketers operate at the MMA, Lagos, while five operate at the Enugu Airport. The initial six were TotalEnergies, MRS Oil Nigeria Plc, Ardova Plc (formerly Forte Oil), Conoil Plc, 11 Plc (former Mobil and NNPC Retail).

Others operating in the sector now are OVH Energy Marketing Ltd, Asharami Aviation, Heyden Petroleum, Masters Energy Ltd (aviation fuel assets/JUHI-2 depot JV), Taleveras Group, Star Synergy Petroleum Ltd, Swift Oil Ltd, Dee Jones Petroleum & Gas Ltd., Delmar Petroleum Company Ltd and Eco Aviation Fuel Support Services Ltd.

Additionally, notable companies include BTY Logistics International, Cleanserve Integrated Energy Solutions Ltd, Cybernetics International Services Ltd, Easy Energy, Renewvia, Logistics International Nigeria, Globexia, World Fuel Services, Shell Aviation, Air BP, and Del-linked, among others.

Higher cost of truck-to-wing system

The continued use of road tankers poses significant safety and contamination risks. In recent years, several incidents have been linked to possible Jet A1 contamination.

For instance, on July 7, 2023, a Maiduguri-bound Max Air Boeing 737-300 with the registration number: 5N-MHM, suffered an engine fault after landing in Yola, where ?multiple drums of water? were later drained from its fuel tanks.

Investigations by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) pointed to possible contamination in the fuel supply chain.

Consequently, the NCAA later suspended some oil marketers lacking proper depot facilities, and the agency established a multi-agency committee to enhance quality control across the aviation fuel ecosystem.

The incident raised concerns about the storage of Jet A1 and its potential contamination, either from the source or from the carriers. To further unravel the immediate and remote cause of the incident, the NCAA also set up a committee comprising the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), NSIB, NCAA, airline operators, pilots, fuel depot operators, aircraft maintenance officers and others.

Speaking with The Guardian, Air Transport Specialist Dr Richard Aisuebeogun said that while the launch of the Joint User Hydrant Installation (JUHI) has significantly improved storage, handling, and distribution efficiency, many of the country?s airports still rely on truck-to-wing fueling systems.

Aisuebeogun said that this model was costly, inefficient and called for adoption of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), targeted government investments and greater involvement from local refineries to address the situation.

Aisuebeogun insisted that safety remained the non-negotiable foundation of aviation, adding that fuel integrity lay at its core. He added that Nigeria equally urgently needed a dedicated Jet A1 regulatory framework, which would harmonise standards for production, storage, distribution, and quality assurance from refinery to wingtip.

He said: ?Licensing modular refineries to produce Jet A1 domestically is not optional; it is strategic and essential. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig. CARs) Part 18 requires every licensed fuel operator to maintain a minimum seven-day storage capacity ? a standard grounded in safety, quality assurance, and operational continuity. Compliance is not negotiable.

?Many airports face limited storage and distribution capacity, coupled with inconsistent quality assurance. These gaps not only raise costs but also compromise safety, efficiency, and reliability. Without sufficient storage, consistency is an illusion ? and without consistency, safety and reliability are compromised.?

He posited that to secure the future of Nigeria?s aviation fueling industry, participants must develop future-fuel capabilities, prioritise quality and safety compliance, and build consortium-based models by encouraging joint ventures, shared infrastructure, and bulk procurement for stability and fair competition.

Also, aviation expert, Amos Akpan, said there was a need to revive the abandoned pipeline to the Lagos airport through Ejigbo. Akpan explained that its revival would lead to a reduction in fuel costs by eliminating the expense of trucking, which currently doubles the transportation cost passed on to the price per litre sold to the airlines.

He also expressed that it would lead to fewer road trucks, improved safety, and efficiency in the system, adding that it would also reduce operational costs for airlines and result in fewer road accidents.

He said: ?Direct pipeline supply to the airport?s hydrants would drastically cut down refuelling times, leading to better airline turnaround times and fewer delays for passengers. Imagine eliminating flight delays caused by the late arrival of fuel bowsers to refuel aircraft.

?The country could save billions of naira monthly as the cost of transportation, demurrage, and security associated with trucked fuel would be eliminated. In reviving the pipeline, security devices must be installed to monitor and identify breaches, allowing for timely interdiction measures. Security surveillance must be top-notch.?

Akpan, however, said that the 46 aviation fuel marketers servicing 15 scheduled operators were good for competition, which would translate to innovative services at reasonable prices.

Besides, the Director of Research, Zenith Travels, Olumide Ohunayo, said that the government set up a committee on the revamping of the facility some years ago, but the committee?s report indicated that the facility was damaged beyond economic repairs.

Ohunayo attributed this to its ruptures and prolonged non-use, adding that the pipeline may have been encroached by either the Lagos State Government or the FAAN.

Rather than repair the former pipeline, he proposed constructing a new pipeline, but questioned its economic importance to the state and its end-users.

?So, I think re-piping the facility entirely would be the best option rather than trying to use those that are already ruptured. But what about the cost of getting that done in these modern times? Will it still be economical compared to the current tanker mode? he asked. On the proliferation of fuel marketers, Ohunayo called for collaboration, partnership or merger among the marketers, saying it?s economically unprofitable.

He, however, said that for operators outside Lagos, moving fuel by tankers remained the only option, considering that only Dangote Refineries still supplies aviation fuel to marketers in the country.

In his contribution, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Centurion Aviation Security and Safety Consult, Group Capt. John Ojukutu (retd), wondered why the Ejigbo pipeline, which was designed to supply fuel to the Lagos Airport, could not be repaired over 30 years after it ruptured.

Ojikutu declared that aside from the logistics-driven high cost of fuel, there had been evidence of fuel contamination in the sector. He argued that the continued closure of the pipeline had led to increased costs of aviation fuel, logistics bottlenecks, and heightened safety risks associated with trucking operations. Ojikutu added that the use of tankers posed a huge threat to the security and safety of humans and equipment at the airport.

In other climes, he noted, even in most countries in Africa, pipelines are constructed from depots to airports, thereby reducing security and insider threats.

Like others, Ojikutu said there was a need to construct a new pipeline that would link the airport to the Ejigbo depot, maintaining that this would reduce costs, especially for airlines, and curb security and safety threats. (THE GUARDIAN)

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