FEATURES Archives - Page 3 of 34

Why Africa’s ‘Open Skies’ Remain Locked in the Hangar

Posted on February 24, 2026February 24, 2026 by Wole Shadare

The message from the industry is clear: Africa no longer needs more signatures; it needs schedules. Without enforcement mechanisms to hold non-compliant signatories accountable, SAATM risks becoming another paper tiger in a continent desperate for connectivity, writes WOLE SHADARE For nearly a decade, the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) has been hailed as the holy grail of African aviation—a flagship project of the AU’s Agenda 2063 designed to dismantle the restrictive bilateral walls that…

United Nigeria Airlines: Turning Dream into Reality

Posted on February 17, 2026February 17, 2026 by Wole Shadare

The story of United Nigeria Airlines is a microcosm of the Nigerian spirit—resilient, ambitious, and unyieldingly optimistic. Its mission is to connect the Nigerian diaspora to their roots and the Nigerian economy to the world, writes WOLE SHADARE In the volatile landscape of African aviation, the five-year mark is often a precarious milestone. Yet for United Nigeria Airlines (UNA), February 12, 2026, marks the moment a domestic dream is turning out to be a global…

Africa’s aviation caught in ‘profitless’ growth cycle

Posted on February 10, 2026 by Wole Shadare

The phrase “more passengers” has become a bitter pill for many African airline owners. While a 6.0% surge in traffic sounds like a success story, the underlying economics of the continent act as a profit siphon, ensuring that most of that revenue never reaches the bottom line, writes WOLE SHADARE Africa’s aviation industry is defined by a striking paradox: it is home to some of the world’s fastest-growing traffic demand, yet it remains the least profitable…

Green Africa in rebuilding phase, acquires second ATR72-600 airplane, partners Access Bank

Posted on February 4, 2026 by Wole Shadare

In a significant move for Nigeria’s aviation landscape, Green Africa has followed up on its 2025 milestone by adding a second aircraft to its fleet, further solidifying its “rebuilding” phase and its unique partnership with Access Bank. This acquisition marks a deliberate departure from the volatile leasing models that caused operational disruptions for the carrier in early 2025. By owning its assets, Green Africa is positioning itself as a more stable, “value” carrier with a…

Cargo charge disinformation, intimation, a threat to national reform

Posted on February 4, 2026 by Wole Shadare

The standoff between the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and cargo agents has escalated beyond a mere fiscal dispute into a volatile conflict involving allegations of disinformation, intimidation, and sabotage of national reform efforts. As of February 4, 2026, the situation at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA) in Lagos is characterised by a “down tools” action by agents and a rigid enforcement stance by the Authority. But when one scrapes away the emotional rhetoric…

Prospects, Issues, Concerns over Enugu Airport concession

Posted on February 3, 2026February 3, 2026 by Wole Shadare

This project is being viewed as the litmus test for the government’s broader plan to concession the “Big Four” airports (Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Port Harcourt), writes WOLE SHADARE The concession of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA) in Enugu has generated various issues and has reached a critical juncture. The recent signing of the Enugu Airport concession has brought the long-standing debate over Nigerian airport concessions into sharp focus. Just days ago, the Federal Government…

Tweaking FAAN’s cargo tariffs after two decades

Posted on January 30, 2026 by Wole Shadare

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is set to implement a significant tariff adjustment effective February 2, 2026. This move, which includes a notable 257% increase in cargo charges, is framed by the authority as a vital step toward financial self-sufficiency and infrastructure modernisation. The agency’s expensive operational costs include runway, maintenance, airfield lighting, staff training and recurrent certification, environmental management (in line with ISO 14001 and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO standards),…

Post-Yuletide: Festive bazaar ends as airlines fly empty, return to equilibrium

Posted on January 28, 2026 by Wole Shadare

While the ‘Yuletide bazaar’ saw tickets peaking between N400,000 and N650,000 due to desperate demand, the post-holiday return to normalcy is proving to be a sober reality check for the industry, writes WOLE SHADARE As the “Yuletide Bazaar” winds down, the Nigerian aviation market is experiencing its traditional but sharp correction. The shift from the N300,000– N600,000 peak-season spikes back to low-season pricing is now in full swing, though the floor for these fares…

How conflicts impact Africa, Middle-East global aviation profitability

Posted on January 20, 2026January 20, 2026 by Wole Shadare

Africa remains the least profitable aviation region globally. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) forecasts that African carriers will generate just $200 million in net profit in 2026—a marginal 1.3% profit margin compared to the global average of $7.90 per passenger. The conflicts in the continent and the Middle-East have the potential to do more damage to aviation profitability, writes WOLE SHADARE The continent has seen conflicts in Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Libya, and…

Airlines on cliffhanger

Posted on January 13, 2026 by Wole Shadare

The Nigerian aviation industry is often described as a quagmire—a complex, sticky situation where every attempt to solve one problem seems to trigger another. This goes beyond just high prices; it is a structural trap involving debt, taxes, and a lack of local technical self-sufficiency, writes WOLE SHADARE To say Nigerian airlines are on a cliffhanger is a perfect metaphor for the suspense and high stakes of the carriers. This month marks a major…

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