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United’s resumption of flights to Washington from Lagos has again shifted focus to the US-Nigeria Open Skies deal and how Nigerian carriers have failed to take advantage of the deal 21 years after it was signed, writes WOLE SHADARE The pact When Nigeria and the United States signed the ‘Open Skies’ agreement in the year 2000, little did the country know that it was going into a lopsided agreement. Yes, over the years, the world…

The Nigerian aviation market is seeing a remarkable shift to other aircraft types. Airbus’ aggressive marketing strategy in Nigeria and Africa seems to be tilting the balance as innovation by Boeing and Airbus amid stiff rivalry is helping to reshape the travel industry. WOLE SHADARE writes A look in Aircraft maker, Airbus is making a significant inroad into Nigeria’s aviation market with some Nigerian operators looking at the direction of the European airplane maker for…

Nigerian airlines are changing strategy with a shift from the operation of ‘old’ aircraft to more efficient, fuel-saving airplanes. WOLE SHADARE writes that this could be a game-changer Proving naysayers wrong The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating effects on air travel and aviation were massive. All over the world, the future of airlines was bleak, fueling suspicion that it could take the sector more than four years to return to full recovery. For the…

As there seems to be no solution to the skyrocketing price of aviation fuel otherwise known as Jet A1, WOLE SHADARE x-rays some of the challenges that have contributed to the unabated rising costs of the commodity in Nigeria Steady increase Since January 2021, the price of Jet A1 has been skyrocketing to the chagrin of airline operators. At the beginning of the year, the commodity sold for between N190 and N200 per litre. A…

  ACFTA and the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) still have a long way to go for effective implementation. WOLE SHADARE writes that the AU needs some institutional reforms to ensure that this plausible paper initiative becomes a reality Colonial demarcation Africa is home to half of the 32 landlocked developing countries that face special challenges associated with their lack of direct territorial access to the sea resulting in high transport and transit costs. The African…

Africa is a region on the cusp of rapid economic expansion. Before Africa’s aviation market can grow to its full potential, however, airlines must address the weak points in their intra-regional operating models, writes WOLE SHADARE Dust settles The dust is still settling across the aviation landscape 19 months after the disappearance of passenger traffic and the retrenchment of airlines. Ultra-large capacity jets are in storage, some likely never to fly again. Networks and frequencies…

Right from the beginning, it seemed NG Eagle flew into stormy waters and could be frustrated from getting an AOC. All eyes are on NCAA as its independence and integrity are at stake. Could the ‘airline’ be running into turbulence even before it starts? WOLE SHADARE evaluates the situation Setting the stage The stage was set for the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) to float NG Eagle. Some said the assets manager planned to…

Nigeria is at the edge of other missteps with so many calls, pronouncements from politicians. WOLE SHADARE writes that despite all the odds, the NCAA is stronger and more effective in its regulatory functions Global aviation bodies lend voices  Sometimes in June 2021, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) called on the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to maintain the critical separation between politics and aviation safety issues. Even the global aviation regulatory body, the International Civil Aviation Organisation…

Over time, there had been talks of African aviation market growing with great potentials but lacking in harnessing the great potentials the continent’s aviation possesses, writes WOLE SHADARE Promise and opportunities Yes, the African aviation market has always been promising and filled with opportunities, yet operating in this environment is challenging. It is a fast-growing market in which air connectivity went up by 30% from 2014 to 2019. Africa has a large, young workforce that can…

With MMA2 serving as the first airport concession experiment in Nigeria, authorities are again looking to attract public-private partnership for Nigeria’s four major airports, as the government struggles to fund capital projects and restrain public debts. WOLE SHADARE writes that the government should look inward to apply a model that has been adjudged to work   Fast pace The airport concession by the Federal Government is said to be moving fast towards actualization amid calls by some…