Chinedu Eze
Nigeria recorded the highest passenger movement for both local and international air travels last year with about 15 million people travelling through the nation’s airports, a recent survey by Philips Consulting has shown.
According to the survey, in terms of industry growth, passenger traffic for inbound and outbound destinations peaked at over 15 million in 2014, surpassing the 2013 record by five per cent. Domestic traffic accounted for 69–77 per cent of total air passenger traffic between 2011 and 2014.
Philips Consulting noted that this growth puts pressure on the key industry players due to a surge in the demand for their services. The firm said in addition to competition among airlines, there were challenges surrounding satisfying ever more discerning customers.
“Add to this the regrettably high number of accidents involving domestic carriers over the last decade, and the need to assess customer perception on the state of the industry has become even more compelling.
“Our inaugural domestic aviation survey report explores the state of the industry, with a view to identifying the gaps in the provision of adequate services to customers,” the report showed.
The company’s major findings through the survey were that the primary drivers of consumer choice of airlines were: price, safety and quality of service.
It explained that passengers were often willing to forgive sub-standard customer service if they could get a good bargain 

“Although low-cost tickets are the primary focus for passengers, many are prepared to pay more to fly with airlines that have good safety records 
 Airport facilities are generally inadequate, with many passengers complaining about a lack of flight information screens, Internet facilities and electrical outlets,” the survey revealed.
It also observed that there was a growing focus on the Nigerian aviation industry following recent pronouncements by the government of its desire to introduce a new national carrier.
“This announcement may have spilt public opinion but there can be no doubt that the decision has been driven by the desire to make Nigeria a more competitive player in the global aviation landscape,” the company said.
