Aviation Archives - Aviation metric

The deepening dilemma of Nigeria’s aviation funding

Posted on July 7, 2026 by Wole Shadare

In the high-stakes world of aviation, safety margins are rarely compromised by a single failure; they erode slowly under the weight of systemic neglect. Right now, the financial crisis rocking the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) exposes a complex industry dilemma, writes WOLE SHADARE The financial crisis rocking the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has taken a dramatic turn, with the agency’s unions warning of total operational insolvency as domestic debt hits ₦34.69 billion and foreign…

Nigeria’s aviation future: Collaboration over competition

Posted on June 30, 2026 by Wole Shadare

The sector is witnessing a broader awakening across the industry. Airlines are realising that regional and international expansion requires a massive scale that cannot be achieved alone. Carriers are still sharply divided against what may be a game-changer for them, writes WOLE SHADARE For decades, the tarmac of Nigerian aviation has been littered with the ghosts of airlines that flew high, burned fast, and vanished into thin air. From the nostalgic eras of Okada Air,…

The Dramatic Renaissance of Nigerian Aviation

Posted on June 23, 2026 by Wole Shadare

A new era of grit, growth, and cross-border ambition is unfolding. Nigerian airlines are breaking new ground—not just by surviving, but by aggressively expanding their footprints. At the heart of this operational renaissance is a deliberate, dramatic pivot in government policy led by the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo. writes, WOLE SHADARE For years, the story of Nigerian aviation was a repetitive, predictable blues track. It was a narrative dominated by foreign mega-carriers scooping up 90 to 95 per…

Inside the billion-naira debt trap threatening Nigeria’s aviation sector

Posted on June 16, 2026June 16, 2026 by Wole Shadare

Nigeria’s aviation sector is operating on life support. Beneath the gleaming veneer of terminal upgrades and the seemingly bubbling activities lies a structurally compromised industry quietly choking on a mountain of uncollectible debt, writes WOLE SHADARE A thorough investigation into the balance sheets of local airlines reveals a toxic, multi-billion-naira debt portfolio owed to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), aviation ground handling…

IATA: 8,000 aircraft backlog holding back aviation

Posted on June 15, 2026 by Wole Shadare

The outgoing Director-General of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Willie Walsh, argued that aviation’s biggest threat is no longer weak demand, but the capacity to support it Among the crises threatening the industry’s future, one that stood out as most entrenched was the industry’s ever-growing aircraft backlog. Walsh After two decades in which airlines repeatedly confronted shocks that destroyed traffic growth, from the global financial crisis to Covid-19, passengers continue to fly, cargo continues…

Airlines’ debts to ground handling firms piling up, AGHAN lifts suspension on Max Air

Posted on June 12, 2026June 12, 2026 by Wole Shadare

The Aviation Ground Handlers Association of Nigeria (AGHAN) has lifted the imposed handling suspension on Max Air over unpaid debts. AGHAN said that lifting the ban was necessary following ongoing negotiations between the airline and its members. A statement jointly signed on Friday by the Chairman and Vice Chairman of AGHAN, Olaniyi Adigun and Bashir Ahmed, respectively, said that the airline was now cooperating with its members and had paid “substantial amounts of money” toward…

‘Why Nigeria Is Missing Out As Africa’s Aviation Powerhouse’

Posted on June 11, 2026June 11, 2026 by Wole Shadare

…seeks unified African sky The Director-General of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Willie Walsh, said Nigeria should be a powerful aviation market, given the country’s population and underlying wealth. Walsh, who spoke to Aviation Metric on Monday on the sidelines of the 82nd International Air Transport Association (IATA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, said there’s no reason why it shouldn’t. Walsh Walsh disclosed that Africa…

How Organisations Slowly Stop Seeing Reality in Aviation

Posted on June 1, 2026 by Wole Shadare

It is difficult to imagine, let alone identify, any aviation organisation waking up one morning and choosing irrelevance. No airline states, “We shall ignore the future,” and no airport authority proclaims, “We shall gradually lose strategic awareness.” Similarly, no aviation regulator aims to become disconnected from emerging realities. Despite these intentions, institutions often drift away from the environments they were created to serve. This shift is rarely sudden; it is usually slow, almost unnoticeable. That…

The Danger of Efficient Irrelevance in Aviation

Posted on May 25, 2026 by Wole Shadare

Some airlines collapse loudly. Their flights become unreliable, delays multiply, schedules disintegrate, and operational confusion spreads visibly across the network. Passengers lose confidence quickly, investors grow anxious, regulators become alert, and the market begins to prepare for failure long before management admits it. This kind of decline is easy to recognise because the symptoms are public, dramatic and difficult to disguise. But aviation history also presents us with another, more dangerous kind of institutional failure….

Nigeria’s Domestic Aviation Paradox

Posted on May 19, 2026May 19, 2026 by Wole Shadare

Nigeria’s domestic airspace is witnessing an unprecedented paradox: commercial capacity is under strain, yet the rush to launch new airlines has reached a fever pitch, writes WOLE SHADARE In a rare display of regional synergy, Gombe, Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Taraba, and Yobe states have pooled N30 billion to birth the North-East Air Shuttle. The goal is connectivity; linking an underserved, economically critical region directly to the federal grid. Ebonyi State has entered the fray with Ebonyi…

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