Good News as FG Finally Addresses High Airfare in Nigeria, Speaks on Solutions
- The reason for frequent flight cancellations and pricey tickets has been addressed by the minister of aviation
- The minister stated in an interview with BBC Pidgin that this includes flight delays without prior notice to passengers
- He did, however, reassure the Nigerians that these problems will be fixed in a short period of time
Legit.ng journalist Zainab Iwayemi has over 3-year-experience covering the Economy, Technology, and Capital Market.
Festus Keyamo, the minister of aviation and aerospace development has said that the main cause of frequent flight cancellations and expensive tickets for both domestic and international travel is a lack of aircraft in Nigeria.
Source: Getty Images
Keyamo voiced concern about the difficulties, which include flight delays without prior notification to passengers, in an interview with BBC Pidgin on Saturday. However, he assured that these issues will soon be remedied.
According to him, the government has started the process of enabling Nigerian airline operators to collaborate with international firms that produce aircraft.
“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 said.
“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.
“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.
“I met with them around the world, and they told us to change our law called the Cape Town Convention, when you sign it, it means you are serious.
“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.”
According to Keyamo, Nigeria's aviation rating drastically increased—from 49 percent to 70.5 percent—after the nation signed the law and agreement.
He was optimistic that ticket rates will drop as more planes become available.
The Cape Town Convention (CTC) practice direction, which permits domestic airline carriers to use aircraft on dry lease, was signed by the federal government on September 12.
By improving asset-based financing and leasing of aviation equipment, including aircraft, the Cape Town Agreement seeks to lower costs for airlines and increase funding alternatives.
Nigerian airline operators are anticipated to have access to aircraft on dry lease as a result of the deal, which may result in reduced passenger flying costs.
Tope Makinde, who frequently fly Lagos to Abuja on a business trip lament how the price of airfare has become almost unaffordable.
He said,
"We "
Airlines to commence direct flights to UAE
Legit.ng reported that the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has negotiated an agreement on reciprocal rights to ensure that Nigerian airlines begin direct flight operations to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in line with the expectation of Nigerians that Emirates Airlines will resume direct flights to Nigeria on October 1, 2024.
Keymo's special assistant for media and communications, Tunde Moshood, said in a statement that the meeting laid the groundwork for the new Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) between the two nations.
He revealed that the deal would set norms and improve cooperation between the two nations.
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Source: Legit.ng
