The Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA) has noted with grave concern “the lack of clarity around the availability of jet fuel across the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) region, beyond next month (May 2026).”
In a statement, the CEO of Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA), Mr. Aaron Munetsi said: “Air transport, which is a crucial pillar for the SADC members’ economies, is particularly susceptible to disrupted fuel supplies because it depends almost entirely on imported crude oil and refined Jet-A1 kerosene.”
According to Mr. Munetsi: “Airlines require certainty on the security of jet fuel supplies beyond a six-week horizon if they are to maintain their schedules and fulfil their obligations to customers. While we hope the situation in the Gulf will be resolved sooner so fuel shipments can resume, we must safeguard aviation in case the impasse continues.”
With this in mind, AASA “pleads with the region’s fuel suppliers, depots (including airports) and all the SADC member governments to urgently share their contingency fuel allocation and distribution plans with the aviation industry.”
Mr. Munetsi stated that: “Even when the Straits of Hormuz blockades are lifted, it will take months at the very least, for fuel production to return to its previous output as several refineries in the Gulf have been damaged and will need to be repaired or rebuilt. This is why we need transparent updates on fuel stocks, including what has been ordered but must still be delivered as well as the status of national strategic fuel reserves, the conditions that would trigger their release and how those reserves would be allocated and prioritised.”
AASA CEO reported that, “Since the US-Israel-Iran war began, jet fuel prices in Southern Africa have, on average, more than trebled from around ZAR8.50 a litre in mid-February to over ZAR30.00 a litre by mid-April. In land-locked countries such as Malawi, the Jet-A1 prices have raced to over ZAR50.00 a litre.”
Amidst the Middle East crisis, like the Southern region, other parts of the continent have also struggled with high jet fuel prices. In Nigeria for example, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), had previously confirmed that airlines in the country would stop operations as the price of Jet fuel had soared from ₦900 ($0.66) per litre in late February to about ₦3000 ($2.21) per litre in weeks, representing a 300% increase. To alleviate this, the President of Nigeria, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu “has approved a 30% discount on debts owed by domestic airlines to aviation agencies as part of measures to ease operational pressure in the sector.”
According to AASA, “The latest spike has prompted most SADC-based airlines to implement cost recovery mechanisms in the form of fuel surcharges, and some carriers have also begun reducing frequencies and consolidating flights. However, airlines cannot plan or operate in an information vacuum.”
Ms. Liz Aluvanze, CEO, Kenya Association of Air Operators (KAAO)
Also, in the Eastern Africa region, the Chief Executive Officer of Kenya Association of Air Operators (KAAO), Ms. Liz Aluvanze confirmed to Aviation & Allied Business Journal the significant increase in fuel prices noting that “almost all carriers are leveraging a fuel surcharge onto tickets.”
AASA states that “airlines are painfully aware of the pressure that increased ticket prices exert on their customers and the ripple effects across the economy when considering how much we all depend on air transport, not only for flying passengers, but for the transport of goods and essential pharmaceuticals and other perishables, e-commerce goods, courier services and high-value cargo.”
The Association pleads that: “At the same time, airlines should not be expected to absorb the shock on their own. Airports and air navigation service providers must also come to the fore and collaborate with airlines in this regard. Now, more than at any other time, they have a responsibility to ensure they operate with maximum efficiency by eliminating congestion and delays that waste fuel and increase costs.”
