Diversions: Airlines recorded losses over unbudgeted commitments

The estimated cost of flight diversions and cancellations by airlines can never be quantified as many of the carriers are still computing figures.

Events in the past one week had been horrendous for passengers and airlines occasioned by harmattan haze over Lagos that made it extremely difficult for airlines to operate as scheduled to Lagos.

While domestic airlines had their own fair share of flight disruptions and cancellations, foreign airlines were the hardest hits as they diverted to Accra and other places.

The lack of calibration of Category 3 Instrument Landing System (ILS) by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) further compounded matters and made air travel very cumbersome.

Chief Executive Officer of Aglow Limited, an aviation support services company, Mr Tayo Ojuri, in airline cost analysis sent to Woleshadarenews shows that popular aircraft brands among major airlines operating to Lagos are B787, A330, A350 and B777. Only British Airways operate fuel thirsty, four- engine B747-400 airplane to Lagos.

Operators of the listed aircraft are Ethiopian Airlines, Delta Airways, Air-France KLM, Lufthansa, South African Airways, Emirates, Etihad. Others are Turkish, Middle East Airlines, among others.

Ojuri said going by assumption, it costs each airline affected by the bad weather over $40, 000 to accommodate their passengers in good hotels, stressing that fuelling a B787 for six hour trip goes between $10, 000 and $12, 000.

He added that if one multiplied that by the number of airlines and days of disruption and flight cancellations, it could be a huge loss.

He put the cost of fuelling, hotel accommodation at N322 million using B787 and airports costs. He said some airlines could spend less or more than the assumed costs based on several factors.

He listed the factors as diverted airports, decisions on final flight destination, remuneration given to passengers, services given to passengers and more.

The costs of chartered flights for passengers, meals and others are also excluded from the losses the carriers contented with.

Of important significance is loss of business deals and other social engagements that were either cancelled or postponed.

While the situation lasted, Dubai based long haul legend, Emirates, suspended all flights to Lagos for two days. That in itself was a huge loss.

Connection from all over the world to its hub in Dubai for Lagos bound passengers were also accommodated in hotels and fed for the time it suspended operations.

Over 1500 stranded passengers of the airline were all taken care of at the expense of the airline.

Delta Airlines took Lagos bound passengers back to New York and Atlanta from Accra when it dawned on the airline that the harmattan haze would not allow it operate to Lagos.

A top airline chief, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the airlines were made to bear the brunt of some people not doing their work very well.

He lamented that the cost of extra landing outside their original destination, parking costs, accommodation of their passengers in hotels are all extra costs that were not charged for and unforeseen.

He equally stated that many passengers missed their connecting flights as a result of the problem, which led to passengers being stranded

Wole Shadare