Air travel is one of the barometers to gauge the health of a nation. Whenever a country is doing well, it will reflect on the number of people that travel by air, writes, WOLE SHADARE Nigerian aviation is not a stand-alone. It is part of the bigger economy of Nigeria and contributes to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Aviation is the quickest barometer to check any economy. A visit to some of the airports particularly the…
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Last week, the Acting Director-General of Nigerian Civil Authority (NCAA) ‘s disclosure that Nigerian airlines are not financially viable has sent a shock wave across the aviation industry. The regulatory body is simply stating the obvious that has since drawn the ire of airline operators, writes, WOLE SHADARE The grim picture The precarious state of Nigerian carriers was brought to the fore recently by no other agency than the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). The…
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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for August 2024 global passenger demand with African carriers seeing demands rise by 10.1% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity was up 7.3% year-on-year. The load factor rose to 77.8% (+2.0ppt compared to August 2023). Total demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), was up 8.6% compared to August 2023. Total capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (ASK), was up 6.5% year-on-year. The August load factor was 86.2%…
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NCAA to wade into unresolved ticket refunds, launches portal The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo has ruled out direct disbursement of funds to help airlines cushion the many problems they face. He stated that there is no amount of money the government gives the airlines that can make them survive, explaining that what the carriers and industry need is the right policies. He reiterated that it is the kind of policy…
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The high cost of airfares is driving many intending travellers to opt for road travel. Air traffic seems to have taken a dip as most Nigerians can no longer air travel. The average airfare for an hour trip from Abuja to Lagos instance is as high as N150,000 and N200,000 for a one-way ticket depending on the time of purchase. It could be slightly lower if tickets are bought about a month before the intended…
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Airlines engaging in deceitful departure time scheduling knowing that they would not be flying at that risk sanctions according to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). The regulatory body alleged that some operators mainly attract passengers rushing for early engagements and end up disappointed due to delays or flight cancellations. Recently, airline passengers have complained of some commercial airlines scheduling flights when no planes are available. This has led to arbitrary delays, merging…
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….Certificate cost rises to N25 million from N5 million An aircraft pilot, Capt Dan Omale has called on the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to make the attainment of an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) less tedious, stressing that one of the guidelines for start-up companies to fly an empty plane for 20 to 50 non-revenue hours in the guise of operational and regulatory compliance test flights, is not only costly but enough to bankrupt the…
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…Urges carriers to interline to survive Chief Executive Officer of Belujane Consult, Chris Aligbe said it would be very difficult for any airline to be successful with point-to-point operations stressing that for Nigerian carriers to be profitable, they would need to interline or go into codeshare agreements that would help them distribute their passengers beyond points beyond. Aligbe, while speaking on Channels Television’s Business Update on Wednesday monitored by Aviation Metric explained that Nigerian carriers like the…
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This is not the best of times for aircraft giant, Boeing as the company is faced with many problems that threaten its existence. The latest problem results from whistleblower claims that its B787 Dreamliner planes have structural failings that could eventually cause them to break apart, adding to the unprecedented crisis facing the aviation giant. But the new allegations come at a bruising time for the Virginia-based company, two weeks after CEO Dave Calhoun and other…
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UK CAA orders reduction in charges, Abuja, Lagos airports rank highest in charges While Nigeria’s two biggest airports have received a lot of flak, the aggregate of these charges, levies and taxes have taken a toll on air travel and impacted the cost of air tickets both domestically and regionally, as passengers will pay less for flights in and out of Heathrow after the aviation regulator ordered the airport to cut the fees it…
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