The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has attributed the ongoing flight disruptions and delays in the country primarily to the insufficient capacity of Nigerian airlines. Michael Achimugu, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at NCAA, made this revelation during an interview at an agency event in Abuja on Wednesday.
This announcement comes in light of increasing reports of passenger flight delays and cancellations within the Nigerian aviation sector. Achimugu highlighted that the primary issue is the inadequate number of aircraft operated by Nigerian airline companies.
He noted that the recent signing of the Cape Town Convention (CTC) practice direction, which allows domestic airline operators to access aircraft on dry lease, is a significant step toward addressing this capacity challenge. Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, has been proactive in tackling the issue.
“We have a capacity problem in Nigeria. We simply do not have enough aircraft to transport passengers around the country,” Achimugu stated. He emphasized that once a disruption occurs, it can cascade and affect subsequent flights throughout the day.
Moreover, he mentioned that the government is working on calibrating the nation’s airports as an additional solution to combat flight disruptions. “Lack of capacity is the major reason for flight disruption. If there is a disruption in the morning, it affects other routes later in the day,” he explained.
In a related development, Nigeria’s Aviation Minister, Keyamo, recently announced that the country is no longer on a global blacklist, with its aviation safety rating improving to 75.5 percent. This progress is expected to enhance the overall reliability of Nigeria’s aviation sector.
