According to reports, over 50% of planes have been parked at airports and maintenance facilities due to the lack of funds to properly fix and service them when, this situation has reduced the working capabilities of airports and has been a major factor of the recent hike in transportation fares as most airlines have suspended their services This has increased concerns that domestic operations would.
According to experts, this unfavorable situation is as a result of the in ability of these airlines to get foriegn exchange in order to sponsor the maintenance of these airplanes and this is a also as a result of the depreciation of the naira, high cost in of foreign exchange and the instability of the exchange at this period .
It has been revealed that airlines have rapidly reduced the level of their operations to many airports and this has caused the rapid sale of tickets to fewer people at very ridiculous prices.
Christopher Penninch, the managing director of the Asaba international airport stated that, in the past, the airport received four flights daily, but it is a whole different story now as just one flight is been accepted by the airline.
“But unfortunately flights have stopped coming because many of the airlines’ aircraft are on AOG (aircraft on ground). Most of the airlines’ aircraft don’t fly for the moment. It is the number of fleet owned by the airlines vs the ones that are airworthy. Asaba airport has all the facilities to be open at night. This would help airlines to operate their fleet more efficiently.
“But the extra cost to open later is terrible (charged by aviation agencies). We are ready but the policies and charges make it impossible. For example, we had only one flight to Asaba today (Wednesday, June 12, 2024). It was Air Peace flight. We used to have at least four flights a day, but that has crumbled,” Penninck, explained.
A major stake holder in the industry confirmed this, stating that over 50% of Nigerian fleets who have been operating fixed flights have been parked and then he pointed out saying, this should be a major concern to the airline industry in Nigeria.
The chairman and CEO of quikio limited, Mr Alex Nwuba,complained that he had tried talking about this challenge at different points but no positive response or action had been taken to do away with it, regardless of how much it is a big deficiency to home flights operations. He said that, getting flights to many domestic locations has become a big challenge due to the poor state of operating aircrafts .
A member of Airline Operators in Nigeria and the president of Topbrass aviation limited told reporters while during a phone interview that,the sole reason for this problem is the inability of airlines to to properly carry out foreign exchange.
According to him, 13 of air peace planes are currently grounded in maintenance facilities abroad,”And there is no funds to pay and bring them back because early last year, Air Peace paid naira equivalent of $14 million to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which it planned to use and pay for the maintenance of the aircraft under maintenance but the apex bank failed to pay the money to the airline”
He said, the company had to wet lease the planes at a very high cost just to sustain their daily operations and the revenue generated from this operations are used to settle the lease and the airline is likely to earn very little from the money.
“This has led to reduced capacity, flight delays and flight cancellation, especially at sunset airports. So, the major reason why many aircraft owned by airlines on schedule service are parked is because of forex, then bird strike and other reasons. Now, due to reduced capacity, airlines cannot operate reliably. Airlines have complained severally but were not listened to. They have decided to face their problems quietly so that they will not be accused of antagonising government.
“But the airlines need government intervention. The same way government has solved the problem of foreign airlines should be the same way it should also solve the problem of Nigerian airlines by making dollars available to them. Government should address the crisis. The airlines are not asking for free money. Airlines should be enabled to access funds the same way manufacturers were given dollars at N800/$1. And if government is in doubt it should direct airlines to bring the names of the maintenance facilities where the aircraft are and it should pay the maintenance organisations directly,” He said.
Captain Ado Sanusi, who is the Managing director and CEO of aero contractors, while talking to reporters on this same issue said that, what is happening in the industry is a pure reflection of how bad the poor economy has affected every sector in the country.
