Domestic airlines operating in Nigeria are currently experiencing more patronage on local routes as a result of the suspension of flight operations by some foreign carriers on some selected local routes.
BusinessDay’s checks show that Ethiopian Airlines has suspended its operations to Kaduna and AirFrance also suspended operations to Port Harcourt, giving opportunity for local airline operations to soar on these routes.
Abigail Okenwa, a travel agent, told BusinessDay on Wednesday that AirFrance is currently facing a structural shortage of aircraft and crews. This has created operational difficulties with its fleet leading to last-minute flight cancellations or delays.
“In order to avoid service failure, Port Harcourt flights have been suspended to take effect from 31st March, 2019. AirFrance is still flying Lagos and Abuja, and hence there will be need for more aircraft on the route to fill this gap. Lagos flights remains daily while Abuja remains four times a week,” Okenwa said.
Ikechi Uko, travel expert and consultant to Ethiopian Airlines, who confirmed suspension of Ethiopian Airlines flights to Kaduna, told BusinessDay that from the onset he knew the Kaduna route wasn’t going to be viable for the airlines.
“Abuja and Kano are few nautical miles away from Kaduna and Ethiopian Airlines still flies to Kano. Ethiopian Airlines operated the Kaduna route for one year and stopped. The airline is willing to suffer loss just to provide the services for the people. They did all they could to sustain the route but by October last year, they quietly withdrew,” Uko said.
On the other hand, domestic airlines are currently experiencing influx of passengers on these suspended routes.
BusinessDay’s checks show that Dana Airlines, which carried about 70 percent load factor on Port Harcourt route, is currently experiencing almost a 100 percent load factor on the route. AirPeace has increased its Port Harcourt operations to three times daily as against twice daily. AirPeace has also begun operations to Kaduna and is operating the route once daily.
Medview, which experienced shortage of aircraft, has also risen to the challenge by getting a leased aircraft to feed some routes including Kaduna. Azman Air also plies the Kaduna route. Max Air, a domestic carrier which began operations few months ago, is also experiencing passenger surge on the Port Harcourt route.
Chris Iwarah, corporate communications manager, AirPeace Limited, disclosed that four routes that have continued to be profitable for the airline are Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Owerri.
Iwarah said AirPeace is currently in talks with different foreign airlines, especially for its international flight services.
“The airlines we are looking at partnering with are still confidential. When we conclude the plans, we are going to issue a statement on which airlines we are partnering with and what the partnerships looks like. We want to make the travel experience as seamless as possible for passengers. For instance, if we fly to China, someone should be able to take over from there in a seamless manner,” Iwarah said.
This is as the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) yesterday collapsed the makeshift tent at the Port Harcourt airport and moved all domestic arrivals to the old international terminal so as to accommodate more domestic airlines to land and take off in Port Harcourt airport.
Henrietta Yakubu, general manager, corporate affairs of FAAN, said in addition to this, the former local departure lounge will henceforth serve as local arrival hall, while the erstwhile international departure lounge has now been converted to local departure lounge.
This is following the recent commissioning and movement of international operations to the new international terminal at the Port Harcourt International Airport.
IFEOMA OKEKE
