Domestic Airlines’ Reliance On Christmas Revenues Unsustainable, Stakeholder Cautions

The main enforcement serviceman of Centurion Aviation and Safety Consult, Group Capt. John Ojikutu, has warned that home airlines successful Nigeria are overly reliant connected Christmas revenues, saying it is unsustainable for the sector’s growth.

Speaking to LEADERSHIP, Capt. Ojikutu said that galore section hose operators entered the commercialized aviation marketplace without capable concern planning. He stressed that depending chiefly connected the Christmas play to interruption adjacent successful net was a flawed strategy.

“Airline operators should not lone number connected the Christmas play to crook a profit,” helium said. “Many place the value of processing coagulated concern plans earlier launching their operations successful Nigeria’s aviation industry.”
Capt. Ojikutu pointed retired that rider postulation successful Nigeria had stagnated astatine astir 18 cardinal annually since 2019, falling abbreviated of the projected 20 cardinal for 2020. Despite the expanding airlines, the assemblage has yet to scope that people by 2025.
He contrasted this with Johannesburg successful South Africa, which moves implicit 20 cardinal passengers annually done conscionable 1 airport. “Nigeria’s 30-plus national and authorities airports collectively person not matched that figure,” helium added.

“I person advised that the airlines should supplement the alteration successful rider numbers with home and determination cargo flights, not for them, arsenic galore person said. Others feel, without trying oregon applying, that the NCAA volition not o.k. the configuration of their aircraft.

Ojikutu said that, dissimilar Nigeria, which moves astir 18 cardinal Nigerians annually, Johannesburg successful South Africa moves 20 cardinal passengers annually.

“Check our colonisation with the air-travelling passengers and comparison with our African contemporaries. Johannesburg successful South Africa unsocial carries astir 20 cardinal passengers annually, and that is the fig that implicit 30 national and authorities airports successful Nigeria person been incapable to handle.

“Most of these airlines whitethorn not adjacent cognize that little than 70 per cent of their passengers are authorities and firm officials who are not the ones paying summons fares from their idiosyncratic pockets. Not adjacent the larger colonisation are earning N70,000 oregon less.

How bash they expect these to wage N200,000 for a one-way summons successful the Nigerian economy?

“Reverse your concern plans oregon you volition request the accustomed authorities involution funds, which lone the authorities medication organization Corruption tin spend to supply and prolong the Nigerian Commercial Aviation,” helium said.

The aviation adept besides noted that astir 70 per cent of Nigerian hose passengers are authorities and firm officials, who typically bash not wage for tickets retired of their ain pockets. This contrasts with the bulk of Nigerians, galore of whom gain little than N70,000 monthly, making it unrealistic to expect them to spend one-way tickets costing astir N200,000 successful the existent economy.

To code these challenges, Capt. Ojikutu advised airlines to diversify by incorporating home and determination cargo flights, alternatively than waiting for support oregon assuming the NCAA would cull craft reconfigurations.

“If concern plans are not reversed, the manufacture volition proceed to trust connected authorities bailout funds, which lone service to institutionalise corruption and instability successful Nigerian commercialized aviation,” helium warned.

His comments underscore the urgent request for airlines to rethink their strategies to execute sustainable maturation beyond seasonal peaks and authorities intervention.