FEATURES

Amid the hues and cries of granting more frequencies to foreign airlines’ operations in Nigeria, it does not appear that stopping these carriers would happen any time soon. From what is playing out, the carriers have been more emboldened to request more flight rights, writes WOLE SHADARE High-yield While Nigerian registered airlines are overwhelmed with challenges with so many complaints and justifiably so, many international airlines are seeing opportunities in a market that has great…

First-quarter 2022 shows the tremendous pace the Federal Government is putting into some projects it wants to bring to fruition and one that it has inexplicably struggled to seal. Overall, the sector had its fair share of challenges that it is bound to surmount, writes WOLE SHADARE Concession, national carrier project gather pace The Nigerian aviation industry in the first quarter of 2022 is one that came with its ups and downs and one that…

The effect of multiple designations is almost discordant, but also riveting in the face of at-risk domestic airlines, writes WOLE SHADARE Sustainable aviation industry An active and sustainable local aviation industry has strategic importance that goes beyond mere commercial and business objectives. It is a matter of national interest and security. So far, the administering of Nigeria’s Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) has been a matter of serious concern considering it is supposedly based on…

  Common criminals and terrorists breaching security layers at many of the airports, particularly the Kaduna airport, raises a red flag that should bother everyone, writes WOLE SHADARE   Public consciousness While flying has always been one of the safest ways to travel, thanks to its wide-ranging international regulatory frameworks, aviation incidents have an outsize impact on the public consciousness. From airport attacks in Brussels and Istanbul to the shooting down of MH17 over Ukraine,…

Nigeria has tried unsuccessfully to set up a national airline. At a point, it looked like another exercise in futility, but the project is presently sounding realistic with Capt. Dapo Olumide as interim Managing Director of the much-awaited national carrier writes WOLE SHADARE   The promise During electioneering in 2014, President Muhammadu Buhari as the candidate of the newly formed All Progressives Congress (APC) promised to bequeath to Nigeria a national airline. In fact, the…

The flurry of price increases may further stress the balance sheets of airlines that are making desperate efforts to stay afloat, writes WOLE SHADARE Tough time The past two weeks had been hectic for Nigerian airlines and travelers. The scarcity and high cost of aviation fuel, otherwise known as Jet A1, had put the domestic aviation industry in total disarray. Not only in Nigeria are airlines and passengers groaning over the spike in Jet A1,…

Many airlines see de-cartelisation as the shortest path to ruin. But recent experience has shown how hollow the opposition to air competition really is, writes WOLE SHADARE   Unconvincing The past weeks have seen airline operators try to make passengers believe that the N50,000 base fare for a one-hour trip was arrived at by them independently without colluding to fix fares. They denied ever holding a meeting to determine what airfare should be Not many…

Nigeria boasts of a population many say is almost 200 million. This, however, does not translate to huge traffic due more to the prevailing economic situation. WOLE SHADARE writes Paradox Despite a significant increase in domestic passenger traffic in 2019 by almost 30 percent, there is still a huge gap in travel demand by Nigerians. This huge gap is further made worse by the recent hike in fares by airlines who themselves are battling to stay…

Flight delay is almost becoming the new order in the Nigerian aviation industry. Everyone is worried and hurriedly looking for a solution. Apart from the fact that passengers have their aircraft travel rights, the reputation of airlines is at stake, writes, WOLE SHADARE Widespread phenomenon With the total number of global air travelers growing tenfold from 1970 to 2019, air traffic systems worldwide have become increasingly complicated and in many situations congested, causing negative consequences to…

Leasing is an efficient means to fulfill short-term capacity requirements without burning the balance sheet. This, however, comes with a lot of risks for the airline and lessor, writes WOLE SHADARE Fairy tale It sounds like a fairy tale, but it is not. It is far from it. A few months ago, Arik Air’s passengers had filed out to board one of Arik’s leased aircraft from Lagos to Abuja. Some wondered why Arik was flying…