Airline Operators in Nigeria are unhappy as their business is on the verge of collapse due to certain decisions taken by government and its agencies.
This is just as, the operators deny ever coming together to fix airfare at N50,000.
After its Annual General Meeting today in Lagos, the operators under the aegis of the Airline Operators of Nigeria AON, disclosed that, the decision of government to allow Qatar and Ethiopian airlines multiple entry into the country was a bad omen for domestic airline business in Nigeria.
Vice President, AON, Barr. Allen Onyema said, the Nigeria aviation will be stagnated if the government encouraged this kind of foray into their operations.
“The capital flight that follows this is unimaginable, continuously deplete our national treasury, it will also inhibit the growth of domestic airlines in the country”.
Barr. Onyema stressed that, operators never got together to fix airfare price at N50,000 but adds that, individual airlines did that not AON.
According to him, the continuous rise in the cost of operations was putting a lot of stress on the finances of the airlines and to say they were not breaking even was being economic with the truth.
“The ground handling firms hiked fees by 300 percent. What should airlines do in this situation?”.
Onyema noted that, N50,000 was even too small to charge as aviation fuel as at today was over N430 per litre, coupled with over N500 to a dollar which they do not have access to for purchase of spare parts, adding that, the aviation business was dollarized.
“Jet A1 fuel has risen from N200 to a litre to N430 to a litre”.
He emphasized that, in 2021 alone, the industry lost $60million to engine bird strikes and over N20billion to delays, cancellations and refund to passengers.
“Air Peace alone suffered 14 bird strikes in 2021 alone and this year has suffered 4”.
The AON Vice President said, 99 percent of the delays and cancelations were not caused by the airlines, he blamed it on inadequate boarding and checking facilities in some airports as well as poor traffic flow control.
The operators lamented that government was not doing anything to punish unruly passengers that fought airline staff and destroy airline property and called for sanction on such passengers.
He noted that, if nothing was done, the body had resolved to take action against such unruly passenger.
