The situation the country airlines have found themselves can only be resolved through strict aviation regulation that would make would-be airlines to be built on solid foundation.
Former Assistant Secretary-General of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Mohammed Tukur, disclosed this to Woleshadare.net in Lagos.
He noted that although, the country’s airlines have shown resilience to operate in a very harsh environment, the aviation regulatory agency, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) need to do more to safeguard the sector in the area of incessant flight delays and financial well-being of the carriers.

His disclosure also stems from the fact that many airlines engage in delays that are becoming unmanageable with NCAA not doing much to nip the situation in the bud.

NCAA is alleged to be helpless because of lack of infrastructure at the airports to aid seamless passenger facilitation and other problems peculiar to the country’s airlines.
The NCAA had declared in strong terms zero tolerance to flight cancellations/delays that has plagued airline operations within the country.
Against this backdrop, all airlines were warned to always adhere to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (NCARs 2015) and Passengers Bill of Rights in their dealings with passengers. Passengers must get value for their money.

While the NCAA and FAAN are doing everything to resolve all the issues enumerated, flight delays and cancellations will not be acceptable.
The former AON scribe noted that aside early morning flights, other scheduled time for the day are delayed for two three hour and in most cases beyond four hours. He called on the aviation regulatory authority to be firm in its action to curb the menace that is fast taking the joy out of air travel.
Data from NCAA indicated that airlines operating in the country delayed an average of 106 flights every day between January and June 2018. Three hundred and fourty-eight flights were cancelled for various reasons during the said period.

The eight domestic airlines recorded a total of 16,880 delayed flights with 253 cancellations. Also, 33 airlines on the international routes recorded 2,443 delayed flights and cancelled 95 flights.
Experts in NCAA stated that flights can be delayed or cancelled for safety and operational reasons, especially during adverse weather conditions, but noted they must be done in accordance with standard civil aviation regulations.
Air travel, even more than other things in Nigeria, is laced with uncertainty. It is common to see passengers still waiting at airports hours after their scheduled departure time.
The first thing that rolls off the tongue of any airline customer service representative, asked about flight delays or cancellations, is bad weather. Sometimes, this is true: bad weather is not conducive for take-off and makes flying unsafe.

Yet these days, navigational aids reduce the impact of bad weather by assisting aircraft in determining their safest course and warning them of obstructions to navigation. And in naturally difficult seasons like Harmattan, when the air is dusty and dry, planes may not fly regardless.
But what airlines wouldn’t tell you is that sometimes, flights are deliberately delayed. Why? To reduce costs.
According to Tukur, “Nigeria’s local airlines are not profitable. Faced with challenges ranging from the high cost of aviation fuel to multiple taxation, airlines often struggle to stay out of debt. Out of so many established local airlines, only about six are operational.”

A travel expert, who spoke on condition of anonymity, believes that local airlines, in a bid to make profits, sometimes deliberately delay or cancel flights.
“A lot of the time, planes are empty. Except during peak periods, Nigerians don’t fly as much. Let’s say an airline has a 2pm flight and 4pm flight to the same destination, it may delay the 2pm take-off and merge it with the 4pm flight,” he explains.
“In doing so, the airline saves money on fuel and ensures seats are filled. When my morning flight to Abuja was delayed, I noticed it was conveniently delayed till afternoon and integrated with the second flight,” he explained.

He argued that established rules around crew scheduling constrain airlines’ decisions, adding that to be specific, crew members are not permitted to be on duty for more than 14 hours a day and of those, they cannot fly for more than eight hours.
The expert explained that each crew member that flies for under eight hours is entitled to a nine-hour rest, stressing that explains that if the crew, in unavoidable circumstances, flies for over eight hours, their rest time is bumped up.
Moreover, the crew would be unable to make their previously scheduled flight until the rest time elapses. “They would have to delay the crew’s next flight to ensure they get the stipulated rest time,” he said.