…expert seeks special FX window

The high number of unserviceable aircraft lying waste on the apron of many airports across the country has highlighted the precarious state of airlines in the country as many of the carriers are reeling from the pain of getting their aircraft back in the sky.

The implication of this is not only taking a toll on airlines but also on passengers as many of the carriers can no longer cope with their schedules that have continued to leave passengers stranded in many parts of the country.

Aircraft maker, Boeing, estimates that a 1-2 hour ‘Aircraft On Ground’ cost an airline from $10,000 to $20,000 and possibly even as high as $150,000 per hour depending on the type of aircraft and route flown. New Telegraph findings revealed that the most hit airline with AOG is Nigeria’s biggest carrier, Air Peace, with more than 13 airplanes including wide-body aircraft in the fleet grounded and parked at many of airports.

A visit to many of the country’s airports revealed the high number of airplanes that are not in use from Air Peace, Arik, Aero Contractors, and Dana, among others. Many of the operators lack the huge financial resources to bring their airplanes back to service as the minimum cost of a repair to B737 airplanes, which majority of the airlines operate costs $500, 000.

Those with serious damage or replacement could go as high as $2 million; a situation that has forced Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) and concerned experts to call on government to give airlines a special Forex window.

Sources stated that some of the airline’s Embraer 195-E2 aircraft acquired less than five years ago were also affected as a result of bird strikes or engine related problems that have left them prostrate on the aprons.

Sources and aircraft engineers, who are familiar with the situation, said some of the airplanes had serious engine problems occasioned by high frequency of bird strikes and other airplanes whose engines are not compliant with the environment. Air Peace’s situation is said to be worse because of its large operations with many hours of delays and cancellations that have taken the joy out of air travel.

Other carriers are equally witnessing same issue but not on the scale of what Air Peace is currently experiencing at the moment that has taken a long time to resolve, prompting the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to summon the carrier penultimate week, advising it to reduce the destinations it flies to be in tandem with the number of aircraft in its fleet, as a way of reducing flight delays and cancellations.

The Director-General of NCAA, Capt. Chris Najomo, who warned that NCAA would increase its monitoring of flight operations of all the airlines, assured that it would continue to support them, but they must comply with the regulations and global best practices.

Many of the airlines are cutting their schedules to match their aircraft size and the shrinking patronage by passengers.Ibom Air it is learnt has reduced its to flights to Calabar to two times weekly.