Domestic Airlines may lose N21bn to Abuja airport closure
Domestic airlines operating in the country may lose about N21 billion due to the planned closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on March 8, for the rehabilitation of the airport’s runway.
MARKETING EDGE gathered that when the closure of the airport takes effect, passengers traffic on the Abuja route could drop by 40 per cent, a situation which will not only affect airline operators but also brands and business owners at the airport.
The loss, some stakeholders also add may arise from the choice of Kaduna airport as an alternative airport to Abuja airport instead of Minna airport that airline operators said was the best alternative airport.
An informed source disclosed that Minna airport has fire cover which puts it at Category 6 airport, adding that although it has airfield lighting but it also lacks complement manpower, as some of the staff from Abuja airport would now be seconded to Kaduna, which has been designated as alternative to Abuja.
The source argued that due to security reasons and poor infrastructural upgrade at Kaduna airport, the traffic on the Abuja route will drop by 40 per cent once the closure comes into effect, noting that the six week planned for the completion of repair work at the Abuja airport’s runway may not be enough and may take up to eight or more weeks.
“So passengers would cut down the frequency of their travel by air and may use alternatives only for important travels and travel for leisure may come down to drastic low” the source who didn’t want his names mentioned said.
Speaking on the security implication for the choice of an alternative airport, Secretary General, Aviation Round Table (ART), Group Captain John Ojikutu said that Minna airport could serve as the best alternative taking cognizance of its size, security reasons and proximity to Abuja airport.
Ojikutu stressed that with the security issues in the northern parts of the country, none of the American and European airlines would want to fly to Kaduna.
“I doubt in any international airline will take the risk of flying to Kaduna. They will rather land in Lagos and drop passengers there, a situation which may be discomforting to passengers,” he added.
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