Domestic airlines operating in Nigeria may soon have some respite in operations, as their clamour for reduction in cost of provision of major aviation services has finally received Federal Government"™s attention.
This development is coming at a time when airline operators have called for the reduction of cost of aviation services, adding that more airlines will go under if these huge costs are not reduced.
"Going back to almost 40 years, government airline Nigeria Airways failed, pioneer private airlines such as Okada, Kabo and so on, failed. The third generation airlines: ADC, Bellview, Chanchangi, Sosoliso and others, failed. Fourth generation airlines: Richard Branson"™s Virgin Nigeria, Air Nigeria, among others, failed. Believe me, given the same Nigeria operating environment the national carrier yet to be born will fail.
"It is a Nigerian business environmental factor. Business and government are permanently at variance. Cost is permanently higher than income," Gbenga Olowo, president, Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI), said.
Also, Allen Onyema, chairman, Air Peace, had also raised alarm over the negative impact of various charges being levied on airlines by aviation agencies, asking the National Assembly to quickly intervene to save the sub-sector from total collapse.
Onyema said the charges were killing their operations, expressing sadness that such was responsible for the short lifespan of over 100 airlines that had gone under in the country.
He said due to harsh operating condition in the country, airlines were not making profit, adding that the little gains go to agencies in the form of taxes…
