Passengers may face hard times as foreign airlines’ relocate to Ghana
Indications emerged yesterday that passengers may face hard times in trying to travel outside Nigeria, if most of the foreign airlines operating in the country make good their threats to relocate to Accra, Ghana.
Following the high cost of aviation fuel in Nigeria which goes for N200 to N250 per litre as against N110 per litre in Ghana, many foreign airlines are planning to leave Nigeria for Ghana where it is cheaper to get the product.
Already, one of the major operators in Nigeria, Emirates Airlines last Sunday took its Nigerian passengers to Accra for refueling before heading to Dubai, its operational headquarters.
MARKETING EDGE gathered that the airlines’ planned relocation would adversely affect Nigerian passengers due to the difficulties they will encounter while trying to travel as well as cause a decline in the business activities at most of the airports across the country.
It was further leant that some other airlines are already opening their Accra offices, while others have begun both Accra and Lagos flights.
Chairman, Airlines Operators of Nigeria (AON), Captain Nogie Meggisson, who confirmed the relocation by Emirates Airlines, said that more foreign airlines were likely to follow suit because of the high cost of aviation fuel which was affecting the air travels in the country.
Meggisson further stressed that Nigerian passengers may be forced to travel to Ghana to fly directly to their various international destinations if most of the foreign airlines finally relocate to Ghana.
According to him, domestic airlines would also lose connecting passengers from other destinations to Lagos and Abuja where they board international flights.
“AON condemns this new move because it will affect Nigeria adversely because when this is done Nigerian airlines operations will be at a loss and the situation will end up affecting the economy negatively. With Emirates relocation to Ghana, Transcorp place where the airlines crew is normally lodged has now lost its customers,” he said.
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