Local airlines battle flight delays amid operational challenges

The rise in flight delays and cancellations in Nigeria’s aviation sector has raised concerns among stakeholders, writes FELIX OLOYEDE

The Nigerian airline industry has faced a consistent wave of operational turmoil, with a staggering 15,000 flight delays and a significant number of cancellations in 2024.

This highlights the ongoing challenges plaguing airlines and airports in managing passenger expectations and maintaining operational efficiency.

The current travel chaos gripping Nigeria can be attributed to a range of factors. Airlines’ operational inefficiency, the dearth of operating aircraft, inclement weather, especially during Harmattan, VIP movements, and inefficient airport facilities, among others, have played a significant role in grounding flights and delaying operations across the country.

These weather challenges often lead to cascading disruptions, where delays in one segment of the network impact the flight system-wide.

Staffing shortages remain a persistent issue in the aviation industry, with airlines struggling to match staffing levels to surging travel demand. Pilots, cabin crew, and ground handling teams are in short supply, causing delays in flight scheduling and baggage handling.

“Pilot shortages are looming, and it is important to note that airlines do not train pilots, this happens within general aviation.

“The same applies to air traffic controllers and engineers. General aviation is the entry point for aviation careers, and without it functioning properly, we risk shortages in critical aviation roles,” the President of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of Nigeria, Dr Alex Nwuba, told The PUNCH.

Airports, too, are feeling the strain, with inadequate staffing leading to congested terminals, long security lines, and operational bottlenecks.

Additionally, ageing infrastructure at some airports contributes to delays. From limited gate availability to outdated air traffic control systems, the Nigerian aviation sector faces significant modernisation challenges that are further exacerbated by growing passenger numbers.

Recent data/statistics said to emanate from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority have generated controversy from airlines that based their misgivings solely on the omission of a certain number of flights done without reflecting accurately on their in-house figure. Simply put, a few of them said the figures from the data do not correspond with their figures.

Agreed that in inputting the figures, one or two errors may have been made, but that does not vitiate the good job done by the aviation regulatory body.

While some domestic operators are upset with the data that exposes the inefficiency of many of the country’s airlines, the international airlines do not have a problem with it, an indication that something is wrong somewhere.

Aside from the horrible tales of missing baggage, flight delays are becoming very normal in the country’s aviation industry. Agreed that some of the causes of flight delays are beyond the airlines, incessant flight delays/cancellations are beginning to take the joy out of air travel.

The NCAA, in its international and domestic flight operation data, disclosed that not less than 47,923 pieces of baggage belonging to air passengers were either missing or delayed on arrival among local and international airlines across the country’s airports in 2024.

Among local airlines, Ibom Air recorded the highest number of delayed or missing luggage in 2024, with 130 incidents, while United Nigeria had 86 during the same period.

Air Peace reported 74 instances of delayed or missing luggage. Aero Contractors had 47, Green Africa had one, Max Air reported five, and both NG Eagle and Rano Air each had one delayed or missing baggage within the year under review.

Among international airlines, Air France had the highest number of missing or delayed bags, totalling 5,097. KLM followed in second place with 4,696 instances, while Egypt Air ranked third with 4,462 cases of missing or delayed baggage.

Last year, the aviation industry regulator was also inundated with complaints from air travellers expressing their frustration with the entire airline industry, particularly regarding flight delays.

Green Africa said its August 2024 performance showed 456 scheduled flights, with 453 operated, 53 delayed, and four cancelled. But NCAA’s data for the same month reported 416 operated flights, 101 delays, and four cancellations for the airline.

Statistics indicate that one in four flights risks a delay or cancellation. The country’s airline industry seems to be in disarray, which the recently released data aims to address.

One airline that has continued to surprise many is Arik Air, which has been in the eye of the storm since the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria took over its management in 2016.

Arik Air, in 2024, airlifted 2,239,176 passengers between January 1 and December 31, according to a report sourced from the NCAA.

The airline, which has been under the receivership of AMCON since 2017, despite its challenges, also operated 10,699 flights within the year under review, making it the second most active airline in terms of passenger traffic and flight operations in Nigeria, after Air Peace.

Arik’s achievements have continued to amaze everyone. This is an airline that was written off because of the imbroglio and bad press it had because of AMCON’s takeover of the company, which was already challenged financially even before the takeover.

The current management of the airline under AMCON has worked to stabilise the airline whose existence was alleged to be under threat before 2016 and has ensured continued operations despite financial distress at the takeover in February 2017, preventing a total collapse of the airline.

Aside from that, the management, according to a reliable insider, has initiated and maintained negotiations with creditors, including international lessors and financial institutions like Export Development Canada, Standard Chartered Bank, Pembroke, and Afreximbank, to manage liabilities and recover several abandoned aircraft from overseas locations.

The source told our correspondent that grounded unserviceable aircraft, scrapped beyond-economical-repair frames, and focused resources on maintaining a lean, manageable fleet had been achieved.

The carrier has maintained a valid Air Operator Certificate and complied with NCAA regulations despite limited operational capacity, including remarkable schedule reliability in spite of numerous historical creditor-induced disruptions.

Experts and analysts are of the view that airlines’ protest over the data by the NCAA was unexpected and was bound to raise issues because the NCAA data may not be totally foolproof.

They praised the job done by the NCAA, describing it as a step in the right direction and what all responsible CAAs do. They call on the NCAA to accompany the data with punitive measures against erring airlines.

The Saudi Civil Aviation Authority two years ago fined airlines found to have infringed on passengers’ rights over $200m.

It urged the NCAA not to wait for one year to publish airlines’ performance, encouraging the agency to do it, stressing every month.

“They should publish the data every month, and they should include the flight time, the scheduled departure and the number of minutes or hours they delay. They should have it on a monthly basis. That is what the NCAA should be publishing,” Saudi Civil Aviation A uthority counselled.

The Chief Executive Officer of Belujane Konsult, Mr Chris Aligbe, said, “If an airline is disputing it, they should bring out the details. If 50 per cent of airlines’ flights are delayed, it is horrendous. Although it is not all airlines that do this, some airlines may be doing better than the others, but the average is 50 per cent delay or cancellations, and that is why our airlines will not attract foreign partners to interline with them because of carrier liability. They should up the ante.”