Nigeria Records 67% Drop in Domestic Flight Operations in Q1
Domestic flight operations in Nigeria declined by 67 percent in the first quarter of 2017, compared to the same period last year.
This was disclosed by the Consumer Protection Department of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority on Monday, which also informed that 10,366 flights operated in the first quarter of 2017 compared to the 15,434 flights operated in 2016 by the same eight domestic airlines.
The agency listed the domestic airlines operating currently to include Aero Contractors, Arik Air, Air Peace, Azman Air, Dana Air, First Nation, Med-View and Overland, and added that out of the 10,366 flights operated in the first quarter, there were 6,789 delays and 318 cancellations.
Air Peace operated 3,262 flights, out of which 2,036 flights were delayed, thereby, topping the chart of delayed flights.
Arik Air recorded 1,059 delayed flights and 246 cancellations out of its 1,665 flight operations.
Dana Air operated 1,525 flights with 1,017 delayed and five cancellations.
The domestic airlines maintained that high cost of aviation fuel, inadequate navigational aids and multiple charges by the various aviation agencies are some of the factors militating against their successful operations in the country,.
Capt. Nogie Meggison, president of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), said there was a need to create a more conducive environment for domestic airlines to thrive.
Meggison said that Nigerian carriers were restricted to daylight operations in most airports in the country while airlines in other West African countries operate 24 hours.
The chairman of Air Peace, Mr. Allen Onyema, expressed dissatisfaction over the multiple charges imposed on the airlines, saying that such charges put many of them out of business.
“If these taxes are not reduced, more airlines will crumble. No airline can survive this regime of taxes. Currently, we pay about 37 charges.
“The taxes have been here before this government and that is why we are appealing to them to streamline the charges as a form of support to the airlines”, Onyema pleaded.
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