Some air travelers at Nnamdi Azikiwe international Airports (NAIA) Abuja, have called on local airlines to improve their operations and services to curtail incessant flight delays.
The passengers, who made the call on Saturday in separate interviews said incessant flight delays had caused hardship to air travellers, some even missing their flights.
They said on many occasions, flight delays had caused them to miss important meetings, assignments, events and job opportunities in places like Lagos, Port-Harcourt, Kano, Kaduna, Ibadan, among others.
The travelers’ ordeals of flight delays cut across almost all the airlines such as Air Peace, Dana Air, Azman Air and Arik Air airlines.
According to them, they had experienced frequent flights delay from these airlines ranging from two to 6 hours, without any explanation by the airlines for such delays.
Mr Prince Chris, a Pharmacist, who was boarding a flight to Owerri said the flight delays experienced by passengers were not at all pleasant.
Chris said the flight delay he had with Air Peace in March from Abuja to Oweri was quite unpleasant as the flight was delayed from 8.30 am to 2 p.m.
According to him, a message was sent that the flight was shifted to 11 a.m., only to get to airport for the same flight to be shifted to 2p.m.
“My experience with Air peace in March was not favourable. I was relayed for over six hours. The service was not the way I really expected it, which was contrary to my previous experience with the airline.
“That is why I decided to go with Dana Air for this trip,” he said.
Mr Eric Adamu, a passenger going to Kano by Max Air, who also urged the airlines to improve their services, saying that several times he has had flight delays with Azman, Arik and even Max Air, while traveling to other destinations.
“What can we do? Many of them blame weather. Some referred to this and that. They should please consider the plight of the passengers,” he said.
He said these kind of delays had caused him to miss important meetings and assignments before, describing the development as “unfortunate”.
Responding, the Aero Station Manager, Mr Abdulmalik Jibreel, told NAN that bad weather and some operational reasons could cause flight delays.
Jibreel said that it was not in the interest of the airlines to delay or cancel some scheduled flights, adding that such move equally affected the operators adversely.
The station manager, however, pointed out that safety was paramount in the aviation sector.
“At times, airport facilities can cause delay. We do not have enough infrastructure in our airports. Internet connectivity, screening, congestion at the boarding gate can cause delay by air operators.
“Unlike other international airports that they allocate each gate to an operator, telling you Gate A is for Aero, while Gate B is for Air Peace and so on.
“But in Nigeria, only one gate is used by all the operators. This is not the standard way to operate in the airport,” he said.
According to him, in Nigeria, there is only one screening machine in the airport for all the luggage to go through.
Jubreel said that if the screening machine was not good enough, it would definitely lead to unexpected delays.
“Also, at times we may finish boarding, suddenly, the number one citizen will want to travel. The air space will be closed for some minutes or hours, just the way the road is closed when he is travelling.
According to him, flights delays also have impact on the staff as they have to close late on that day without being paid for such extra times.
Mr Ola Adebanji, the Manager, Communications, Arik Air also explained that weather was the main cause of flight delays.
Adebanji said that sometimes delay could lead to cancelation if the destinations did not have Instrument Landing System (ILS).
“Weather is the main cause of flight delay. Right now you can see that it is raining. Once it rains, definitely flight will be delayed. Once one flight is delay, it will have effect on other flights schedule on that day.
“There are many airports in Nigeria that cannot operate in the night. So, if by chance one of the airports is affected, there is possibility of canceling that flight for that day.
“Economically, it is not good for airline to have delays. It is not a good thing for us. We do not like to delay flights,” Adebanji said.
NAN recalls that Federal Government recently said airline operators in the country must refund the full cost of travel tickets to passengers after a two-hour delay.
According to 2021 Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) by Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), bad weather has always been the bane of flight and airport operations.
The 2021 SCP said severe weather such as thunderstorm and line squall contributed significantly to flight delays, diversion and cancellation.
“Activities accompanied with onset and cessation of rainy season such as squall lines, thunderstorms, wind share, microburst, and flash floods can flood runways, disrupt landing and take-off, cause delays in flights and affect sensors along runways.
“Additionally, dust haze during the Harmattan season could result in poor visibility which also leads to disruption of flight operations.
“Therefore, aviation stakeholders should take precautionary measures, especially during the onset and cessation of rainfall for smooth and safe operations,” it said.
