Mr Allen Onyema, Chairman of Air Peace, has stated that 95% of flight delays are due to factors beyond airlines’ control.
Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) vice president Onyema expressed frustration that the airline industry was being demonised and de-marketed by government institutions due to flight delays that were often beyond the airlines’ control.
On Thursday, he delivered remarks at the Lagos book launch for “Air Transportation in Nigeria: The Lingering Expectations,” co-authored by aviation journalists Chinedu Eze and Olusegun Koiki.
Due to the lack of scanners for inspecting passengers and luggage, Air Peace’s chairman has threatened to suspend flights to Gombe.
He complained about the lack of facilities at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, stating that ten airlines were making do with only a handful of check-in desks.
He claimed that planes travelling from Lagos to Abuja would be forced to wait in that city for hours before continuing to their next stop.
Regarding the Abuja check-in kiosk, “we have written to FAAN, and the AON has written to the ministry. It’s crazy out there, nine or ten airlines in one small space; it is not encouraging.
“However, a few days ago, the MD of FAAN spoke to me and said they were going to do something about it. What we are asking for is expansion. The old international terminal in Abuja is lying fallow. Some of us should go there, so we have enough counters for check-in.”
When asked about the Gombe airport, he said the airline was getting help from the state government and had asked the airport authority for scanners to ensure the safety of passengers and airport employees.