Sunday, October 13, 2024 - Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has attributed the frequent flight cancellations and rising ticket prices in the country to a shortage of aircraft.
Speaking in an interview with BBC
Pidgin on Saturday, October 12, Keyamo acknowledged the challenges faced by
both local and international travelers, including flight delays without prior
notice, and assured that these issues would soon be resolved.
Keyamo revealed that the government
has initiated steps to support Nigerian airline operators by encouraging
partnerships with foreign aircraft manufacturers.
“I met with the people on the ground
and asked them, and they told me that the money they pay to hire (rent)
airplanes is too high,” Keyamo explained. “They call it wet lease, and the kind
of airplanes they get are not the ones they can pay for in installments, why?
It’s because the people who bring airplanes to Nigeria for business are afraid
of Nigeria."
Keyamo went on to elaborate on why
foreign airplane suppliers hesitate to do business in Nigeria. “They said
Nigeria is full of dishonest people, and anytime they bring their planes to
Nigeria, if the people cannot pay, they cannot recover their planes."
In response, Keyamo noted that the
government signed the Cape Town Convention (CTC), which reassures international
aircraft leasing companies that their planes will be protected in the event of
any financial or legal disputes. “The law we signed states that if anyone
brings an airplane into Nigeria, if there’s a problem, the government will
allow them to take their airplane back, we cannot hold it,” he said.
Following the signing of the Cape Town
Convention, Nigeria’s aviation rating has improved significantly, rising from
49 percent to 70.5 percent, according to Keyamo. He expressed optimism that the
increased availability of planes will lead to reduced ticket prices for
passengers.
The federal government signed the Cape Town
Convention practice direction on September 12, a move aimed at enabling
domestic airlines to access aircraft through dry lease arrangements, reducing
operational costs, and expanding airline capacity in the country.
With the new agreement in place, Nigerian
airline operators are expected to secure more aircraft, ultimately reducing
flight cancellations and delays while potentially lowering ticket prices for
passengers.
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