FEATURES

For African carriers and some governments in Africa restricting air services to poorly served African destinations, the question is, what are they really protecting? WOLE SHADARE writes that the continent may actually be shooting itself in the foot with protectionism, constricting air traffic growth   Constrictions amid huge potential Aviation has the potential to make an important contribution to economic growth and development within Africa. Air transport can open and connect markets, facilitating trade and enabling local…

Ethiopian Airlines is in the eyes of the storm. The carrier is so successful that its success is becoming a huge problem for many airlines and other stakeholders who likened its role in many parts of Africa as predatory, writes, WOLE SHADARE Burden of success Never has success become a huge burden than what the best airline in Africa is going through at the moment. Is Ethiopian Airlines a victim of its own success? The…

Airports are more than runways and terminals. Airports are powerful engines of economic growth and possibility for local communities not only in Nigeria but across the globe, writes, WOLE SHADARE More airports spring up In Nigeria, airports are springing up at an alarming rate. In fact, cities of less than 100 kilometers are now been connected by air through aerodromes that state governments are constructing; one as a tool for winning elections, attracting economic prosperity to…

Few airlines are on the verge of joining existing ones to broaden space for competition. WOLE SHADARE writes that travelers will mostly take advantage of the glut for a better deal Bitter pill Nigerian airlines and by extension, the aviation industry in Nigeria suffered some grueling experiences that threatened the survival of the entire industry. The coronavirus pandemic like every other part of the world affected the country. Even before the outbreak, the outlook for the world…

Nigeria’s aviation industry in the past seven years has not done badly. The sector has been resilient enough to withstand shocks. Taking a holistic review of the industry, it can be said to have done relatively well despite many challenges that are yet to be resolved. Overall, it can be scored highly, writes WOLE SHADARE   Evolving aviation industry The aviation industry has come to represent a significant aspect of people’s lives in more evolving…

Nigeria has tried unsuccessfully to set up a national airline. At a point, it looked like another exercise in futility, but the Nigeria Air project is presently sounding realistic and sets to launch in the next few weeks, writes WOLE SHADARE Huge fillip The Nigeria Air project is gaining currency and the detailed progression of the exercise by the Federal Government through the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika to birth a new national carrier that…

Nigerians are said to be paying the highest travel fares in the world. The route is said to produce a high yield. Government is helpless, the country lacks strong indigenous carriers to compete with their counterparts with Nigerians at the mercy of foreign airlines’, writes WOLE SHADARE   Long in coming Many saw it coming. The airlines and their representative body, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) warned of an impending hike in international airfares….

The just-concluded Aviacargo summit where stakeholders in the aviation and insurance industries brainstormed on gamuts of issues is an opener as the summit kept stakeholders spellbound as to where aviation is headed, writes WOLE SHADARE Discourse One issue that dominated discourse at the Aviacargo summit tagged ‘CHINET 2022’ put together by travel expert and consultant, Ikechi Uko, was the role of insurance in aviation; the need for comprehensive insurance packages for Nigerian airlines, and the…

Nigeria’s airline industry is riddled with debts. The airlines are perpetually in debt. They owe banks and government several billion of Naira. They are funding slow expansion with short-term loans, putting banks and other firms in precarious situations, writes WOLE SHADARE   Unsuccessful venture It is becoming increasingly clear why virtually all Nigerian carriers are not successful. Seeking answers to this seems to be the easiest thing as many carriers in the country are highly…

Aviation security risks and threats evolve rapidly and manifest themselves in different forms. Recently, there has been a significant shift in the types of risks impacting civil aviation across the globe, prompting aviation experts to brainstorm on the application of multilayer security measures to nip the threats to aviation in the bud, writes WOLE SHADARE Security takes cenre-stage The issue of security has taken center stage in the contemporary international system. Continents, regions, and countries…