FEATURES Archives - Page 2 of 34

Inside the billion-naira debt trap threatening Nigeria’s aviation sector

Posted on June 16, 2026June 16, 2026 by Wole Shadare

Nigeria’s aviation sector is operating on life support. Beneath the gleaming veneer of terminal upgrades and the seemingly bubbling activities lies a structurally compromised industry quietly choking on a mountain of uncollectible debt, writes WOLE SHADARE A thorough investigation into the balance sheets of local airlines reveals a toxic, multi-billion-naira debt portfolio owed to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), aviation ground handling…

Crisis Emptying Nigeria, Africa’s Jet Fuel Reserves

Posted on June 9, 2026June 9, 2026 by Wole Shadare

The crisis threatening to ground the continent’s aviation industry is far more visceral, and it is unfolding thousands of miles away, writes WOLE SHADARE The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has sounded a resounding alarm, warning that Africa’s jet fuel storage is rapidly drying up. For decades, the standard playbook for African airlines battling operational turbulence has relied on familiar variables: fluctuating currencies, heavy tax regimes, and regulatory gridlock. What began as a localised military flare-up…

Global Fuel Shocks: Era of Accessible Air Travel Over

Posted on June 2, 2026 by Wole Shadare

Industry executives say the crisis is reinforcing concerns that airlines remain highly exposed to fuel market shocks despite years of efforts to diversify supply chains and improve efficiency, writes WOLE SHADARE Governments and aviation executives are increasingly warning that the market turmoil is not a short-term supply shock but part of a broader structural problem facing airlines worldwide: growing dependence on fragile fuel supply chains, limited refining flexibility and the slow development of alternatives to conventional…

Flying on Borrowed Time, Money Amid Respite

Posted on May 25, 2026May 25, 2026 by Wole Shadare

The “No-Pay-No-Service” list underscores the brutal structural asymmetry of running an airline in Nigeria: earning in Naira while burning in Dollars. The directive has fundamentally shifted the conversation from a routine regulatory dispute to a stark exposure of the structural vulnerabilities undermining Nigerian domestic aviation, writes WOLE SHADARE For years, the industry regulator, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), has played the patient parent, issuing ultimatums, extending deadlines, and pleading for financial transparency. But patience has…

Nigeria’s Domestic Aviation Paradox

Posted on May 19, 2026May 19, 2026 by Wole Shadare

Nigeria’s domestic airspace is witnessing an unprecedented paradox: commercial capacity is under strain, yet the rush to launch new airlines has reached a fever pitch, writes WOLE SHADARE In a rare display of regional synergy, Gombe, Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Taraba, and Yobe states have pooled N30 billion to birth the North-East Air Shuttle. The goal is connectivity; linking an underserved, economically critical region directly to the federal grid. Ebonyi State has entered the fray with Ebonyi…

Jet Fuel Crisis: Rano Air Blinks First

Posted on May 12, 2026May 12, 2026 by Wole Shadare

The recent decision by Rano Air to suspend select flight routes is not merely a strategic pivot by a single carrier; it is a loud, distressing alarm for an industry on the brink, writes WOLE SHADARE Rano Air’s decision to scale back its operations is the latest domino to fall in a crisis fueled by an astronomical spike in Jet A1 fuel prices, prompting industry experts to sound the alarm about the future of domestic travel. On…

MMA2: How diplomacy succeeded over litigation

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Wole Shadare

For the Nigerian aviation industry, the end of this imbroglio is more than just a settlement; it is the removal of a sovereign risk tag that has kept international airport investors away from the shores for two decades, writes WOLE SHADARE For two decades, the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal Two (MMA2) stood as both a monument to Nigerian ingenuity and a tombstone for Public-Private Partnerships (PPP). It was a “Cold War” fought not with tanks, but…

Aviation fuel volatility: Nigerian carriers on life support

Posted on April 28, 2026April 28, 2026 by Wole Shadare

The Nigerian aviation industry, often described as the local economy’s barometer, is currently screaming “Mayday,” writes WOLE SHADARE What began as a turbulent climb in operational costs has rapidly devolved into a free fall, leaving domestic carriers gasping for air as the price of Jet A1—aviation fuel—skyrockets to an unprecedented N3,300 per litre. For an industry where fuel typically accounts for 40% of operational costs, this 300% surge from just N900 in February 2024 has turned…

Decoding Nigeria’s 20-Year Civil Aviation Master Plan

Posted on April 22, 2026 by Wole Shadare

The Civil Aviation Master Plan (CAMP) 2025–2045 is more than a policy document; it is a twenty-year survival guide for an industry that has long struggled with inconsistency, writes WOLE SHADARE The Nigerian aviation industry stands at a critical inflexion point. Long hampered by fragmented planning and systemic inefficiencies, the sector is now transitioning toward a period of institutionalised growth. The catalyst for this change is the Civil Aviation Master Plan (CAMP) 2025–2045, a strategic mandate…

Obsolete Radar: Ticking Time Bomb, Govt’s swift intervention

Posted on April 14, 2026April 14, 2026 by Wole Shadare

The clock is ticking. The question is: will we fix the radar before the screen goes blank? asks, WOLE SHADARE For a pilot cruising at 35,000 feet, the silent partnership between the cockpit and the ground is the bedrock of safety. But in Nigeria, that partnership is fraying at the edges. Behind the high-tech jargon and the polished glass of Air Traffic Control (ATC) towers lies a harrowing reality: the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON)…

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