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‘Low aircraft use, inadequate facilities affecting industry’

Nigeria ranks low among countries with effective utilisation of aircraft by airlines. The drive for increasing use of the equipment is hampered by restricted operational hours and inadequate air navigation facilities. Stakeholders and experts met in Lagos recently to address the challenge.

The push for higher utilisation of aircraft is gaining traction as players in the air transport sector strategise on ways of achieving its sustainability.

Experts says the minimum use of the airplanes because of restricted hours of operations into some airports further threatens the survivability of indigenous carriers.

Speaking at the 26th League of Airports & Aviation Correspondents Conference in Lagos, last week, players in the industry called for the provision of more air navigation facilities, including airfield lighting and other terminal facilities, to enable airlines to operate flights 24 hours into airports nationwide.

Noting that flights restriction  for aircraft from dawn to dusk, into some airports described as “SunSet Airports”, does not bode well for the growth of the aviation sector.

Chief Operating Officer (COO), Ibom Air, Mr George Uriesi, said inadequate air navigation facilities at some airports is limiting the use of aircraft, acquired at a higher cost by carriers.

He said: “Aircraft in the fleet of Nigerian carriers are  operating in a systemically limiting environment that makes it harder for you to be as productive.There are a number of blockers that make it hard to fly aircraft in Nigeria maximally.”

Giving a global benchmark, Uriesi said Nigerian carriers are losing potential revenue due to poor utilisation of aircraft.

He said: “Let me give you a benchmark of what we have in the world. From Airbus, the global average is 9.1 to 9.7 bloc hours a day. Some do 12 hours. In the Nigeria, that is nine domestic flights a day. On a monthly basis, it is 275 to 292 bloc hours, and  yearly 3,300 to 3,500 bloc hours.

“Imagine the productivity of those aeroplanes, compared to ours where it is between 5.5 and 6.6 bloc hours per day. That is five or six hour sectors per day. That translates to 165- 198 bloc hours a month.The reason is that the productive limitation at most of our airports offer airlines limited operational hours.’’

Also, Chairman, Finchglow Group, Mr Bankole Bernard, called on aviation authorities to scale up facilities to enable airlines to utilise their aircraft based on market demand.

He, however, said: “How many domestic airlines in Nigeria have schedules for 24-hour operations? What is the economic impact of operating for 24 hours? Who bears the cost of operations? Should FAAN decide to make provisions for 24-hour operations on these routes, are the airlines able to pay for these services, and has there been any intentional effort to drive traffic to our airports such as creating non-aeronautical sources of revenue like cinemas, amusement parks and other attractions around the airports?”

The Director-General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Musa Nuhu, said one of the  reasons some airports are restricted to sunrise-sunset flights in Nigeria is to eliminate or mitigate the safety implications and challenges of night operations.

Some of the challenges, he itemised, as inadequate infrastructure, airports poor financial outlays, security risks and threats, inadequate airport and air navigation  infrastructure; traffic level, and airline capacity.

He said: “There are issues involving fire cover, primary and secondary power sources, provision of communication, navigation and surveillance aids, automatic weather stations.”

The Acting Managing Director, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mathew Pwajok, said the agency has sufficient air navigation facilities at airports for airlines seeking extension of operational hours.

But, he said, there was the need to match the cost of running such airports with the expected revenue for such operations.

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