LAGOS: Nigeria’s ​aviation minister has ⁠urged local airlines ‌to avoid suspending flights or ​raising fares after carriers threatened to ​halt operations ​over a sharp rise in jet fuel prices.

In ⁠a letter to the Airline Operators of Nigeria dated April 16 and ​seen ‌by Reuters, ⁠the minister acknowledged ⁠the pressure on airlines from the ​soaring cost ‌of jet ⁠fuel but appealed for restraint to avoid wider economic disruption.

He said the government was engaging with the industry and had scheduled an emergency meeting ‌with regulators and stakeholders in Abuja ⁠on April 22 ​to find what he described as a prompt ​and ‌sustainable solution.

(Reporting by ⁠Isaac Anyaogu; Editing ​by Kirsten Donovan )