‘Poor infrastructure, chaotic airlines’ operations, bane of Nigeria’s aviation sector’

Participants at the end of an aviation conference with the theme, ‘Aviation Industry: Changing Times, Changing Strategies,’ noted that the country’s aviation sector is lagging as a result of poor airport infrastructure, chaotic airlines’ operations and add-on effects on dissatisfied travelling public.

Specifically, they reckoned that the changing times would require good preparation  equipped with the right policies, technology, financing and efficient operations to cope with the market realities, profitability and ensure sustainability.

The participants also observed that inasmuch as manpower development across the supply chain of air transports are needed, human capital and its development should entail having the right people, right equipment, good knowledge of usage and proper programme to support growth.

The gathering noted that there is no separating airlines profitability from the environment they operate. where the environment is bloated by the wrong workforce, unfriendly and merely reactive policies, then airline operations and attendant profitability are hampered.

They expressed concern that despite the vast untapped market, domestic airlines have emerged from the same old model of defunct Nigeria Airways, flying middle-sized aircraft on traditional domestic routes, with Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano networks accounting for 82 percent of the total traffic.

The stakeholders advised the airline operators to keep innovating and embracing the principle of forming alliances through which they can enjoy “balance revenue with the cost of operation, have better connectivity and aim at profitability. For sustainability, there must be accountability and consequences of actions or inactions.”

The gathering cautioned the government against approving only unprofitable routes (red routes) to Nigerian airlines and should have confidence in the airlines on the premise that the ‘red routes’ end up draining the resources and businesses of the airlines. Participants also advised the indigenous airlines to reject these ‘red routes’ and desist from the ‘can do it’ attitude.