Nigeria: Marketers Accused of Raking in Profits Selling Aviation Fuel As Kerosene

As the price of kerosene continues to soar because of inadequate supply, marketers have been accused of selling Jet A1, better known as aviation fuel, as kerosene, in the process making a kill of N50-N100 per litre.

The diversion of the product to fuel outlets where it is sold as household kerosene has also been blamed for the scarcity of Jet A1 and several flight cancellations and delays in the aviation sector in the last one month, THISDAY has learnt.

Kerosene and jet fuel are nearly identical in every way except for a few additives in modern jet fuel, with industry experts describing the latter as nothing other than cleaner kerosene with no sulphur content.

However, the scarcity of foreign exchange in the country has made it very difficult for oil marketers to import and supply petroleum products that would sufficiently meet the needs of consumers.

As such, several marketers have started diverting Jet A1 to fuel outlets where it is sold as kerosene at a higher price than aviation fuel.

Aviation fuel sells for between N198 and N200 in Lagos while kerosene goes for N200 to N300 per litre.

THISDAY investigations revealed that marketers now prefer to sell Jet A1 as kerosene after degrading it and that explains the scarcity of aviation fuel in the past one month, leading to flight cancellations and delays.

Informed sources confirmed that aviation fuel is highly refined kerosene with zero sulphur, which when used for cooking leaves the pot without soot.

But instead of importing kerosene, oil marketers import aviation fuel because almost all modern refineries in the world no longer refine kerosene owing to the low demand for the product as a heating oil in several countries.

However, Nigeria's refineries, which were built between the 1960s and 1980s still produce kerosene and unlike refining plants in other parts of the world, the Nigerian plants have not been upgraded to refine only diesel, petrol and Jet A1.

A seasoned aeronautical engineer and pilot, who operates a non-scheduled flight out of Lagos, told THISDAY at the weekend that the current scarcity of aviation fuel would persist until marketers and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) begin to import sufficient kerosene to meet consumers' demands.