Nigeria’s aggrieved passengers and matters arising

IT’S no longer secret that all is not well with the country’s domestic airlines, no thanks to the myriad of challenges tearing them down.

Such challenges, range from the exorbitant price of aviation fuel, unavailability of foreign exchange, high inflation to the controversial closure of the runway serving the domestic airlines for upgrade by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

Again, it is no longer hidden that all these challenges and many more have already consumed two of the airlines, Aero and Dana, leaving the remaining ones gasping for survival with the probability that more airlines will still go under soonest.

Equally, it is obvious that some of the challenges bedeviling the local airlines, like the issue of prohibitive price of aviation fuel has become a global issue with airlines around the world increasing their fares and introducing new strategies that can keep their business ongoing.

Amidst the crisis, it is expected that the challenges as they affect the airlines, must surely take tolls on the consumers enjoying the services of the airlines like the travelling public, the aviation agencies, oil marketers and other auxiliary companies that transact businesses with them.

The confusion becomes deeper as the Federal Government that is supposed to intervene in the chaotic situation has become more confused and overwhelmed thus leaving the airlines to their fates.

Under this circumstance, the airlines will only have to take steps that will help cushion the effects of the imbroglio. Such actions include: reducing flight schedules, increasing air fare, delaying flights and even cancellation at the extreme, among other steps.

While the airlines are taking all these steps that will keep them in business, it is factual that those enjoying their services must face some discomfort pending when the situation improves.

It is on this premise that passengers must show a little bit of understanding when they are directly hit by the effects of the temporary strategies introduced by the airlines which may cause inconveniences like delays or cancellations.

The passengers should avoid a situation whereby their actions or inactions will put any airline under pressure to the level of compromising safety which may end up in disaster and regret.

This therefore brings to the fore the recent attack unleashed on some workers of Dana Air and the destruction of their property over inability to fulfill its agreement of airlifting them.

The aggrieved passengers were caught unawares by the sudden suspension of the airline’s operation by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority in order to give room for the financial audit of the airline following some challenges that rendered the carrier financially incapable.

The airline, according to the news flying round before its subsequent suspension, had been hit by financial trauma which made it tough for it to even continue paying its workers and other business partners owing to what its management attributed to the unfriendly business environment.

Grounding the operations of the airline by the regulatory body was the best action as the critical component needed by any airline to run effectively without compromise is in its financial capability which, if found wanting, requires urgent solution.

Therefore, urgently stepping in by the NCAA was meant to save the airline and even the passengers from any impending catastrophe that may occur should there be temptation to cut corners. Even the airline’s management realised the importance of the audit to their continuous success as seen in their readiness to cooperate with the NCAA while the audit exercise lasts.

The airline knew the development will surely lead to loss of millions of Naira during the suspension but it must also have weighed the consequences of being blamed for any subsequent accident that may emanate from their challenges and therefore show preference for being temporarily grounded.

At this point, passengers should not only learn how to control their anger whenever they are confronted with issues of flight delays or cancellation, but also ponder over the safety consequences of ignoring the predicaments of any airline at this crucial period.

As painful as it could be for any passenger who after paying for his flight, only to be told that that flight has been cancelled, there is the need for subsequent anger that may naturally spring up under that condition to be handled with utmost responsibility that will not further complicate an already bad situation.

It is at this juncture that Crucial Moment is appealing to the travelling public to exercise caution at this time as it is obvious that many more flights will be cancelled or delayed in due course until the hardship confronting the airlines are drastically reduced.

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