Why domestic flights dropped in first quarter – Operator

The Management of Azman Airline on Friday said recent closure of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja, accounted for the drop in domestic flights in the country between January and March, 2017.
The Manager of the airline at the Abuja airport, Abdullahi Saroke, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja that the six-week closure of the airport made many passengers to re-order their travel arrangements.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority had on Monday disclosed that domestic flights in the country operated by eight airlines declined by 67 per cent in the first quarter of the year when compared to the same period in 2016.
It said that 10,366 flights were recorded during the period as against 15,434 flights operated in the corresponding period in 2016 by the same airlines.
The Abuja airport was shut from March 8 to April 17 for rehabilitation of its runway. During the period, aviation operations were diverted to Kaduna Airport, which received a facelift to cope with expected pressure.
But Saroke said in spite of the improvement on the facilities at Kaduna Airport, sharp drop in passenger traffic to the airport was recorded during the period.
He explained that many domestic airlines reduced the frequency of their entry into Kaduna airport because of the reduction in traffic during the period.
Saroke said due to seeming inconvenience of using Kaduna airport during the closure of Abuja airport, many passengers rescheduled their movements, preferring to travel by road or suspended their movements.
The second factor that accounted for the drop in the flights during the period, he said, was the drop in the operations of Arik Air and Aero Contractors, which had been facing operational crisis since 2016.
Saroke said: “Why we have a sharp drop in the first quarter is mainly because of the closure of Abuja airport which happens to be the second busiest airport in Nigeria.
“When Abuja was shut and operations were transferred to Kaduna, many airlines reduced their frequency, because many passengers rescheduled their movements during the period.
“As for domestic operations, we are still not there because the two big domestic carriers, Arik and Aero, are down, which is why Air Peace and Medview are currently topping.
“Currently, Arik has drastically dropped, because its number of aircraft has dropped from 36 to five or six, which is bad for the industry.
“Likewise, Aero that used to be flying frequently is currently doing skeletal operations, and then, there are so many issues that domestic airlines are faced with.”
However, Saroke expressed optimism that domestic passenger-flow would peak in the second quarter since the 2017 budget had been passed by the National Assembly.
He called on the Federal Government to address the issues of multiple taxation and high cost of aviation fuel, to help the domestic operators expand their operations.
While commending the Federal Government over the steady availability of foreign exchange to the aviation industry, Saroke also called for upgrading of the nation’s major airports.
He said for an airport to be viable there must be active domestic carriers, adding that Nigeria needed a viable national carrier and strong domestic carriers.
Saroke said: “The airline business is capital intensive, and it needs an investor with passion for the industry to have the patience, because it is not always profitable at the beginning.
“Emirate Airlines started with just two leased aircraft in 1983 with $10 million loan from its government, but today, they are the biggest in the world with about 259 aircrafts.
“We need a national carrier, but of more importance is viable airport where a hub can be created. What makes an airport a hub is the traffic but what we have in Lagos and Abuja are not good enough.”
The airline manager also called on states’ governors to do their best in creating business and tourism opportunities in their states to boost domestic travels.
He said that former governors of Cross River and Akwa Ibom States, Donald Duke and Godswill Akpabio, were able to open up their states to visitors through tourism investments.
According to Saroke, the busiest routes from Abuja currently are: Lagos, Yola, Kano, Port Harcourt and Owerri, while other routes like Enugu, Calabar are usually busy during festive periods.
He said: “Some of these governors are not even helping matters because they are not creating business and tourism opportunities that can encourage travels in their states.
“For instance, when Akpabio was governor, he opened up the state to tourists, golfers and other visitors, and there was regular air traffic into the state.
“Donald Duke of Cross River also did the same thing through upgrade of Obudu Ranch, Tinapa Resort among others.
“Something must attract a visitor to a state which we lack in most of the states.”
NAN.