Local passenger traffic drops by 30% in Q1


An executive summary on international and domestic flight operations for the First Quarter (Q1) released by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) showed a total of 10,366 flights operated compared to 15,434 flights operated in 2016.

Passenger traffic on the local route in Nigeria recorded at least 30 per cent drop in the first quarter of 2017.The significant plunge, compared to the same period in 2016, has been blamed on the recent temporary closure of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja and operational challenges by some airlines.

The drop in patronage implies loss in revenue for operators, regulators and returns that go to the government.This is coming at a time the International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced a 6.8 per cent rise in global passenger traffic for March 2017, compared to the same month a year ago.
An executive summary on international and domestic flight operations for the First Quarter (Q1) released by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) showed a total of 10,366 flights operated compared to 15,434 flights operated in 2016.


Out of the 10,366 flights operated by eight local airlines in the first quarter, a total of 6,789 flights were delayed and 318 cancelled.About 26 international airlines also operated 3,033 number of flights, which is also a significant drop when compared with the first quarter of 2016.
 Spokesperson of the NCAA, Sam Adurogboye, said the drop was not unconnected with the closure of NAIA for six-week rehabilitation of its runway.Adurogboye said though local airlines diverted to Kaduna International Airport, but not at full capacity. More so, none of the foreign airlines, except Ethiopian Airlines, reroute to Kaduna during the closure.

In the summary made available to The Guardian, Air Peace had the largest flights operations of 3,262, out of which 2,036 were delayed and 19 cancelled in the first quarter.
Arik Air operated a total of 1,665 flights, 1,059 delayed flights and 246 cancelled. Dana Air operated 1,525 flights with 1,017 delayed and five cancellations. Med-View operated 1,071 flights, delayed 752 and 22 cancelled.

The operators noted that the Abuja airport closure was indeed a difficult period for the airlines and passengers, but most challenging is the unfriendly environment for business, with perennial issues like aviation fuel shortage inadequate navigational aids at some airports and multiple charges.
Chairman of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Capt. Nogie Meggisson said there was need to create a more conducive environment for domestic airlines to thrive.

Meggisson said that Nigerian carriers were restricted to daylight operations in most airports in the country while airlines in other West African countries operate 24 hours.
IATA stated that African airlines continued to enjoy good demand in March, with traffic up 6.0 per cent compared to March 2016. Capacity rose 2.4 per cent, and load factor strengthened 2.3 percentage points to 68.2 per cent.

Notwithstanding fragility in the region’s biggest economies (Nigeria and South Africa), traffic growth has strengthened in recent months with demand, measured in Revenue Passenger Kilometers (RPKs), growing at an annualized pace of nearly 10 per cent since mid-2016.
This pick-up reflects a combination of faster growth on the key market to and from Europe, and also between Africa and the Middle East.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Cahill to miss semi-final after kidney stone treatment

Image
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has revealed Gary Cahill is set to miss Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham after being treated for a small stone in his kidney. Cahill was admitted to hospital on Tuesday after training and the England centre-back had tests and treatment before being released on Thursday. With the Premier League leaders due to play their London rivals at Wembley this weekend, Conte fears it is too soon for the England international to return to action. “He arrived at the training ground with a bit of fever,” Conte told reporters on Friday. “Our doctor preferred to bring him to the hospital and to check his condition. “Not a serious problem, but now Gary is getting better and is improving a lot. “If you ask me for tomorrow, my answer is it is very difficult. This period is not a lucky period for us.” Tottenham are four points behind the Blues at the Premier League summit with six games remaining after Chelsea’s loss at Manchester United last Sund...
Keep reading

North Korea carries out new ballistic missile test

Image
The missile was launched near Kusong, north-west of the capital, Pyongyang, and flew 700km (430 miles), it said. North Korea has carried out a series of missile tests this year, causing international condemnation and increasing tensions with the US. Two missile launches last month both failed, with the rockets exploding just minutes into flight. North Korea's missile programme Have North Korea's missile tests paid off? Kim Jong-un: North Korea's supreme commander South Korea and Japan both condemned the latest launch. The South's new President Moon Jae-in convened an emergency meeting of his security council to discuss the issue, Yonhap news agency reported. Japan said the missile flew for about 30 minutes before landing in the Sea of Japan. Cuban echoes, by the BBC's Korea correspondent Stephen Evans The North Korean situation has been likened to the Cuban missile crisis in slow m...
Keep reading

Nigerian Actress Tonto Dikeh celebrate's her birthday today

Image
She posted on her Instagram page: so many amazing years have come and gone and like the old saying, "how time flies?'; My story so far has been that of the pure grace of God, from that little girl walking the streets of Port harcourt to this young amazing beautiful woman exuding divine essence and Grace; My tales aren't complete without thanking God for the gift of life and adding another year to me today, my songs will be complete by saying thank you my Lord; Through the battles, through the storms, through the shallow and high waters l've remained steadfast knowing that I have the strength of a Lion; My name is KING Tonto Dikeh, l'm not like roses and flowers that blossom for a while and when the sun comes out they all whither and die, l'm still here standing tall and will keep standing till the end of time; I also celebrate my son King, my friends, family and my very supportive fans for the beautiful words always, yes it's my day however l...
Keep reading