Latest Headlines
CONTAMINATED FUEL AND AIR SAFETY
Airlines cannot afford to cut corners. They must maintain high safety standards
There have been many reports in the last three weeks about how airlines discovered that the Jet A1(Aviation fuel) they bought had been contaminated. There is a trending video of an airplane owned by a Nigerian airline gushing water from its main fuel tank and other repositories of the product. Following investigation by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), it has been revealed that some oil marketers sell kerosine (DPK) as aviation fuel (Jet A1) by sourcing their product from modular refineries in Nigeria. It was also established that none of the modular refineries produces Jet A1, which means that whatever was sold to the oil marketers that supply airlines was not aviation fuel.
Ordinarily, Jet A1 could be described as high-grade kerosine since the difference between Jet A1 and kerosine is the high level of refining and absence of water. This unfortunate development has exposed the precariousness of flight operations in Nigeria. About two years ago, two major Nigerian airlines had similar experience. Their flights emanating from Port Harcourt to Abuja and Lagos respectively had to be aborted when their pilots discovered that there was high content of water in the aircraft tanks. This happened after they had bought fuel from a local marketer at the airport in Port Harcourt.
We consider this development to be very serious. The consequence of the damage caused by contaminated aviation fuel can be tragic. Industry experts explain that when aircraft engines take in water it sticks, burying itself in some components of the engine and damage these components. And when components of the engine are damaged, it ultimately flames out (shut down) and this can happen when the aircraft is airborne, which will be tragic, especially if the two engines are affected.
Aviation fuel (ATK) is meant to burn in the aircraft and produce thrust. But when mixed with water, it will not burn as expected. It could also extinguish the combustion, which would have counterproductive effect on the aircraft. Experts also fear that water in the aircraft could lead to the growth of algae in the engine and that the components could be severely damaged over a long time. This means that when water enters the engine of aircraft today, it could continue to ruin the components till the next five years.
It is obvious that with the high cost of operation and exchange rate volatility, some airlines are trying all they can to break even. In the process, they go for marketers who sell at ‘cheaper’ prices even when there is no guarantee about the integrity of such products. To deal with the situation, the NCAA has charged flight crews comprising the pilots and engineer to inspect fuel and give approval before it is put in the aircraft.
We understand that many oil marketers that appear at the tarmac with their bowsers do not have storage facilities at the airport where the NCAA and airlines can inspect their product. Yet, without such facilities there is no way it could be established that the marketers are sourcing the right product. We therefore urge the NCAA to inspect the operations of the marketers more regularly. Besides, the NCAA should go beyond the oil marketing companies and investigate the source of the product. In this regard, we recommend a collaboration between NCAA and Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to ensure that Jet A1 that met international standards are usually supplied to the airports.
Nigeria has maintained a good record of air safety for about a decade now. To ensure that this good record is sustained, concerned agencies and airlines must adhere strictly to safety standards.