Nigerian airlines are giving priority to flights to airports with higher passenger traffic due to the ongoing shortage of aircraft.

This shortage is mainly caused by the expensive maintenance costs of airplanes and the grounding of certain aircraft by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) because of inadequate or substandard maintenance. Consequently, airlines are cutting down on flights to destinations with lower passenger numbers in order to utilize their fleet efficiently on routes with greater demand, aiming for better profitability.

Smaller airports like Ilorin, Akure, Anambra, Asaba, Ibadan, Calabar, and Enugu are experiencing reduced flight frequencies, while popular routes such as Lagos to Abuja, Port Harcourt, Owerri, and Kano are witnessing frequent take-offs and landings.

Emeka Nwafor, the Managing Director of Anambra International Cargo and Passenger Airport, shared his observation regarding the current state of commercial aviation in Nigeria. He noted that the number of commercial flights operating within the country has significantly decreased.

“Shortage of aircraft is affecting Anambra airport. For instance, an airline which operates one flight to Lagos and returns and one flight to Abuja and returns daily has reduced flight frequencies into and out of the airport.

“Currently, these flights do not operate as they used to. We now have skeletal weekly flights. The frequency has been reduced. Sometimes, there are cancellations and sometimes, there are no flights at all,” Nwafor said.

He revealed that the second airline serving Anambra airport faces an even greater challenge, mentioning that at one stage, this specific airline was left with only one aircraft.

“Once an airline delays a flight, that delay will affect its other operations. As an airport, we depend on aeronautical revenue such as aircraft landing and passenger service charges. This can only happen when the passenger flies. We are not very strong in retail, which are businesses at the airport terminal,” Nwafor further said.

In recent months, a limited number of aircraft have been required to accommodate numerous passengers on domestic flights, as Nigerian airlines face challenges related to a reduction in their fleets due to escalating maintenance costs.

Airlines that have dispatched their planes for maintenance are finding it difficult to bring them back into service due to soaring expenses driven by a scarcity of foreign exchange.

Additionally, some airlines have been compelled by the NCAA to suspend operations of their aircraft due to their inability to send them for necessary maintenance.

Furthermore, the fleet operating domestic routes has been affected by the grounding of Dana Air, a relatively low-cost carrier with six aircraft in its fleet.

There have been reports of ticket cost increases on routes that were previously operated by Dana Air.

Ndukwe Ginika Ogechi, CEO of Geena Travels And Tours Ltd, mentioned that over the past few weeks, ticket prices have been on the rise and seat availability has been decreasing due to the lack of aircraft to operate on underserved routes.

“My clients have been complaining because it has been difficult to get flights going to destinations such as Asaba, Enugu, Owerri and some northern destinations. The airlines which previously operated two or more flights to these destinations may either operate one daily flight or not have any flight at all,” Ogechi said.

According to data from the NCAA, 13 domestic airlines in Nigeria have a total of 91 aircraft, including those that are currently undergoing maintenance.

Sources close to the NCAA have reported that more than half of the 91 aircraft are currently undergoing maintenance, which is putting pressure on the remaining operational aircraft. Five years ago, when there were only 10 domestic airlines operating in Nigeria, they had a fleet of over 120 airplanes.

The recent grounding of Arik Air's fleet by the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, has further exacerbated the shortage of planes. Travel experts have noted that the reduction in aircraft has made air travel exclusive to the wealthy and has allowed certain airlines to monopolize specific routes.

Christopher Penninck, the managing director of Asaba Airport Company, stated that the limited number of available aircraft are now being used on high-traffic routes, such as Lagos to Abuja, or international routes, in order to generate foreign exchange.

“The current aircraft shortage has a lot of impact. Currently, we have 70 percent less traffic. It is terrible. Some airports have no flights,” Penninck said.

He suggested that the government should significantly reduce the fees charged by federal agencies.

“The government is overcharging and limiting the development of the industry. We are basically doing business to pay the inefficient agencies,” Penninck further said.