NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The war in Iran is driving up jet fuel prices and worsening supply strains for African airlines, forcing carriers to review routes and raising fresh concerns about the stability of the continent’s aviation network.The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) says the crisis has exposed its heavy dependence on imported refined jet fuel, leaving airlines vulnerable to global shocks.African carriers were already paying about 17% more for jet fuel than the global average before the Iran war, according to AFRAA. The new price pressures are adding to already thin margins across the sector.“The impact is dire and a major shock for our members,” AFRAA Secretary-General Abderahmane Berthe told The Associated Press. “Fuel represents between 30% and 40% of airlines’ operating costs. Any increase directly affects their balance sheets.”
The aviation industry is closely watching the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy corridor through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil and fuel flowed before Iran effectively closed it for shipping at the start of the war in February. For African airlines, the effects are amplified by structural constraints, including higher procurement costs and a weaker ability to absorb shocks.
