In 2023, Nigeria’s aviation sector faced four incidents of contaminated Jet A1 fuel, with water discovered in commercial aircraft fuel tanks—a situation that posed serious risks to flight safety. To address these issues, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is coordinating with industry stakeholders to investigate the cause and implement preventative measures.

During a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja, NCAA Director General, Capt. Musa Nuhu, stressed the importance of collaboration, noting, “We are the regulatory agency, but we cannot solve this problem alone. Involving stakeholders helps ensure that incidents like this do not happen again,” with passenger safety being the foremost priority.

At the meeting, NCAA Director of Airworthiness Standards, Engr. Gbalohan Abalan, detailed recent contamination cases. On July 17, 2023, multiple fuel tests detected water contamination after a commercial plane was refueled in Lagos, while on July 7, a similar contamination led to an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) shutdown in Yola. Additionally, in April, two contamination-related incidents occurred in Abuja, including an in-flight engine failure caused by a fuel filter bypass. Although no accidents occurred, the situations underscored the potential dangers of compromised fuel quality.

Nigerian Midstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority CEO, Engr. Farouk Ahmed, also attended the meeting, assuring the industry of regulatory oversight in fuel quality and stability, promising collaboration with stakeholders to ensure that aviation fuel meets necessary standards for safe operation.