With increased fleet size and destinations this yuletide, BDSUNDAY’s findings show that AirPeace, Medview, Dana Air and Arik will gross well over N20.5 billion as 684,000 passengers will be fully booked on these four major airlines during a period of 30 days.
With anticipated daily flight frequency of 70 flights for AirPeace, 58 for Arik, 32 for Medview and 30 for Dana airlines, these airlines will operate 190 flights daily during yuletide and carry nothing less than 120 passengers on each flight.
For a period of 30 days, these airlines are expected to make N20.5billion.
“Christmas is always the period when airliners makeup for their lost revenue because of the surge in passenger traffic,” John Ojikutu, member of aviation industry think tank group, Aviation Round Table (ART) and Chief Executive of Centurion Securities also told BDSUNDAY.
Ojikutu said that airlines with adequate fleet capacity for their dedicated routes can make more flights and carry more passengers daily, adding that they can even extend flights to routes that are not within their operational areas.
A visit to the Murtala Muhammed local Airports and the General Aviation Terminal by BDSUNDAY Friday showed that bookings from December 15th to January 5th are almost 100percent full.
A one-way ticket from Lagos to Abuja, Port Harcourt, Enugu and Owerri on these major airlines which previously cost between N22,000 to N25,000 is already costing N28,500 to N30,000 as at November 5 for bookings between December 12 to January 12.
Industry sources say this amount will increase as yuletide approaches.
“Destinations such as Abuja, Owerri, Enugu, Port Harcourt and Uyo on AirPeace, Dana, Medview and Arik Air from December 18 to January 5, are already near full load factor. As it is now, in the next two weeks, there won’t be space on the aircraft for passengers except the airlines increase frequencies into these routes,” a travel agent said.
AirPeace operates 54flights daily. This number if increased by 30percent will amount to 70flights daily. Using a N30,000 one way ticket on a 120 seater aircraft, Air Peace will realise a sum of 3.6million on just one aircraft. For 70 flight daily operations, the airline will realise N252million. For period of 30days during this surge, the airline will realise N7.56billion.
Arik with 10 aircraft and 45 flights daily, if increased by 30percent, will operate 58 flights daily. Arik will realise N208m daily and N6.26b during a period of 30 days.
Medview operates five aircraft with 25 flights daily on domestic route. With a 30percent increase in frequency, Medview will operate 32 flights and realise a sum of N115.2m daily and N3.5b for a period of one month.
Dana has five aircraft and operates 23 flights and plies Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Owerri and Uyo daily. With an increase in frequency by 30percent, the airline will operate 30 flights daily, which will amount to a return of N108m daily and N3.24b within a the one month.
“Currently, we are operating about 89 to 90percent load factor. So, even without adding one more flight, we have 10percent of our seat that we can realistically fill over the busy period. Before yuletide, we will be bringing in the remaining one aircraft that have gone for maintenance to accommodate the surge in passenger traffic.
“I heard Owerri airport now has light. It is a good thing, as we know by 6pm or 7pm, all our aircraft stop operating. If more airports get airfield lights, Instruments Landing Systems, (ILS), we can deploy more capacity,” Obi Mbanuzuo, the accountable manager of Dana Air said.
“We currently fly into and out of Lagos, Abuja, Owerri, Enugu, Benin, Calabar, Port Harcourt, Akure, Uyo, Sokoto and Accra. People are already booking ahead of Christmas, but we are making arrangements to create the opportunity for many more people to fly during the Christmas rush.
“The arrival of some of our new aircraft will coincide with our December operations. With the coming of the new aircraft, we normally will do more flights,” Chris Iwarah, Corporate Communications Manager, Air Peace Limited told BDSunday.
Medview airlines which commenced flight to Dubai on Thursday, December 7, 2017, is also optimistic that the new route will fetch them more revenue.
IFEOMA OKEKE
