With a population of over 200 million people, it is expected that Nigeria should be adding about four million passengers annually to the number of persons that travel by air both on domestic and international destinations, but air travel statistics show undulating results that sometimes oscillate, indicating that there is really no growth in the number of air travellers annually.
In 2021, Nigeria recorded 14, 249, 542, air travel according to records from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). This was made up of 12, 050, 264 domestic passenger movement and 2, 199, 278 international passenger movement.
In 2022, Nigeria recorded about 16. 2 million in both domestic and international travel with over 12 million on domestic travel, while about four million travelled on international destinations.
But Nigeria recorded a total number of 15, 895, 265 passengers in 2023, which was less than 16, 172, 433 passengers that passed through the airports in 2022 and there are indications that the number of passengers who travelled by air in 2024 would be less than the previous year, going by the first, second and third quarters results released by NCAA.
When compared to other developing countries that have the population near or above that of Nigeria it becomes obvious that Nigeria is not recording passenger growth in air travel both for local and international destinations.
In 2023, Brazil recorded 112.6 million passengers on domestic and international flights, marking a 15.3 percent increase from 2022’s 97.6 million passengers, as reported by Minister of Ports and Airports Silvio Costa Filho.
In Indonesia, from January to August 2023, the number of domestic air transport passengers was 41.6 million, increasing by 22.46 percent. The number of international air transport passengers was 9.9 million and increased by 212.55 percent compared to the same period in 2022.
Egypt’s airports recorded tremendous growth in air traffic rates during 2023, receiving approximately 47 million passengers, an increase of 28 per cent compared to that of 2022, according to a statement issued by the country’s Ministry of Aviation.
Looking at the stifling growth in the Nigerian Aviation sector, the Managing Director of Aero Contractors and former Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Captain Ado Sanusi, told THISDAY that the economic situation of the country may have reflected on how people travel, noting that there is somewhat economic recession and the naira/dollar parity is a disincentive to international travel and that was why many Nigerians who hitherto travel overseas for summer stayed back in Nigeria and there was drop in air travel on international destinations.
“It is not easy to keep up with rising ticket costs; so, people only embark on compulsory travel because there was marked reduction of flights. So, the major reason is the reflection of the economic situation in Nigeria. Recession is disincentive for travel. We have sluggish growth in the economy. The inflation rate is growing, interest rate is rising and these are the indices of a troubled economy,” Sanusi said.
Industry stakeholder and former Commandant of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Group Captain John Ojikutu (rtd), said that the major challenge why Nigerians travel less by air was as a result of the high cost of ticket. He noted that the deteriorating economy is the major reason why Nigeria is not recording increase in passenger traffic in air travel like some aforementioned countries are doing.
“In Nigeria, average airfare of one hour will be almost thrice the average salary in the country? Like you said, most air travellers in Nigeria are regular travellers, mainly government and corporate officials and whose airfares are paid by their employers. How does the sector grow? In 2000, we targeted 20 million passengers for 2020 but 5 years after we are still less than the 20 million. What stuff should we still be looking for?
“’Let the Common People Fly’ can only be where the GDP is high enough to support the population. With our population and GDP, can we stand by the side of India? We have smaller airports like Ibadan, Akure, Ilorin, Minna, Jos, Makurdi, Yola, etc, what has been the figures of the passengers and air traffic in the last 20 years? Not many of these or none has risen up to or must have gone beyond 100,000 in any year. If government minimum pay is N70,000 and air tickets average is N200,000 on airlines that are generally private and not public, who gives a place for the common man in a private airline? We have a long way to go with the political office holders who only come get their pockets filled with the public money and walk away into private life,” he said.
Some years ago, during public hearing on aviation matters in the Senate, one of the major operators in Nigeria, Captain Edward Boyo, explained why airfares are high and why many Nigerians cannot travel by air. He noted that air fares are high because of the huge taxes. So, if government wants more people to travel, it would have to review downwards its taxes and charges built into the ticket.
“We have a population of 200 million, why can’t the common man fly in Nigeria? We talk of zoning airports; respectfully we are not zoning any airport in Nigeria. Every airport has the same goal, with similar cost because we have a centralised airport system unless we are going to dismantle it.
“Every Nigerian has a right to travel to his own destination at equal cost; after all, a mobile phone call here is the same price as a mobile to my grandfather in Maiduguri as of today. So we must look at bringing down costs.The laws you make will shape tomorrow and the future. Let me say this, the National Assembly is the hope of the common man. Airline operators today are suffering, that is why the Senate must ask the executive why are airlines dying in Nigeria?
“Over 100 airlines, if am correct, have died in the last few years. So it is good that we are modifying the laws today. It is our hope that these new laws you are going to make will support the existence of the ordinary Nigerians not the existence of us in this room (VIPs) that can afford everything,” Boyo said.
