Over one million passengers were processed at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos between January and March, this year, according to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

The statistics, according to experts, are encouraging considering the COVID-19 pandemic effects on air travel at global and local levels.

Statistics obtained from the FAAN have shown a total of 323,751 passengers out of which 149,557 passengers and 174,194 passengers arrived and departed through the international wing during the period

At the domestic wing, 402,519 passengers arrived while departure recorded 337,041 bringing the total number of passengers on the domestic routes to 739,560 between January and March

A total of 17, 286 aircraft movement was recorded at the airport during the first quarter of the year with records showing domestic aircraft movements standing at 12,744 while international aircraft movement was 4,542

Airport Manager, Southwest, Mrs. Victoria Shin-Aba said there was no significant drop as Lagos remained the business nerve centre of the country, where most flights terminate at the airport.

Shin-Aba explained that there was a gradual reawakening from the pandemic even with the second wave not discouraging passengers from travelling, saying: “It is like a gradual reawakening, a gradual restart away from the COVID-19 issue, came the second wave but that did not discourage people from travelling so, it is growing gradually.”

On COVID-19 protocols, the airport manager stated:  “You see, I used to tell people that if there is one thing the airport has been able to do as soon as you get into the airport environment, this COVID-19 protocol is activated. You can get to town everywhere, you don’t see people obeying it but as soon as you get to the airport, we enforce it, people would not want to cooperate, but we are enforcing it but for staff and passengers, people are cooperating.

“If you don’t put on your mask we wouldn’t allow you into the terminal building and even if you are in the terminal building and you remove it we have some task force going around correcting people please mask up, so there has been a lot of cooperation from the passengers as well as other airport users”

She, however,  noted with displeasure the number of family members escorting their travelling passenger to the airport, lamenting: “We have been having some challenges along that area. You know our culture the way we do things, one person is travelling, 10 people will follow but we still try as much as possible to discourage people.”

She further stated that the challenge they were having with VIP’s parking indiscriminately at the departure area have reduced as there was a task force in place consisting of other security agencies that advise them to move on after dropping intending passengers.

Mrs Shin-Aba said there were a lot of security arrangements, layers of security at the land-side and air-side put in place with regular meetings of the security committee.

“We have a standing airport security committee that meets regularly and when there is any red alert, we come together to strategise on how to best to work it out in preventing any occurrence and honestly. We have very good synergy between the security agencies, even the Nigeria Air Force. We have a nice synergy, though we have a military airport commandant but then even the Tactical Air Command, they work with us. We equally have the commissioner of Police, Airport Command, the director of state security and comptroller of Immigration, comptroller of Customs; we come together and synergise, share information so that we are not caught unawares.”

She explained that the COVID-19 has negatively affected the finances of the organisation. She hinted: “The disadvantage of COVID-19 is what affects us the most. It has affected our income as an organisation,  airlines are not coming back due to the pandemic, people are not travelling as they used to.”

There is the need for the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to create a special window for domestic carriers to access foreign exchange (forex) in procuring spares for their aircraft,the Chairman, United Nigeria Airlines, Obiora Oknkwo, has said.

Okonkwo said the bi-weekly window for bidding by banks on behalf of airlines was not yielding the right results as airlines had to seek an alternative window to secure forex to meet their needs.

At a briefing in Lagos, Okonkwo said the carrier is open to various options of collaboration, including pooling of aircraft, spares, tools and expertise to deliver stronger airlines that will contribute to the growth of the air transport industry.

Besides, delivering strong carriers, the United Nigeria Airlines boss said cooperation among airlines would drive down costs, creating economies of scale.

He unveiled plans by the airline to set up an aircraft Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Centre (MRO) in Enugu.

The MRO, he said, will serve not only his airline, but also other operators who utilise the Enbraer regional jets.

The chairman said United Nigeria Airlines was in talks with foreign partners.

“We are in a process of acquiring land from FAAN to set up our MRO and since our base is in Enugu, we wanted to establish it there. We gave ourselves 24 months to start doing  C-Check in our facility,” he said.

United Nigeria Airlines,  he  said, is negotiating an additional two Embraer ERJ145 aircraft to help its consolidation plans on the domestic route with plans  to procure a bigger aircraft as it consolidates its flights on designated routes.

Okonkwo said the Embraer 145 aircraft chosen by the carrier was  thought through because of its attendant fuel economy and efficiency, a factor he affirmed accounts for significant reduction in operating costs.

He said: “The ERJ 145 is a good fuel efficient aircraft and we are negotiating an additional two  Embraers and we would use that to consolidate on our entire routes. As you know after we do that, we go for a bigger aircraft. As you know the Embraer is a good fuel efficient aircraft but we need a bigger aircraft for baggage.

“We have gone through due diligence before we earmarked the ERJ as the choice of aircraft and the fuel utilisation is a huge advantage. It might surprise you to know that the evening we got our Air Operators Certificate (AOC) we opened our portal and the first flight within 12 hours we have full passenger load,” the chairman said.

He said the carrier eight weeks after commencing operations, has flown over 25,000 passengers, with an average of 3,200 passengers weekly.

 

COVID -19 pandemic shocks on air transportation have triggered debilitating effects on global carriers, forcing them to evolve survival strategies. Low passenger traffic figures experienced on many routes is propelling carriers to adopt the use of middle size, fuel economical airplanes such Embraer 195-E2 jets already gaining traction among global airlines. Over a dozen of such jets are expected to hit the airspace in the next few weeks, KELVIN OSA-OKUNBOR reports.

 

These are not the best of times for players in the global air transport industry as the continuous wave of the coronavirus, otherwise known as COVID-19, pandemic is dealing a deadly blow on airlines and other players in the logistic value chain.

Significantly, airlines are recording lower passenger traffic, forcing their owners and managers to rethink their operational model to keep the business afloat.

Shrinking revenue accruing to airlines during the pandemic, when airplanes are flying half  their configured capacity, is creating unease for airline owners and managers.

Besides airlines, which are experiencing low passenger traffic, airport authorities and aircraft manufacturers are also experiencing lull in their business as the preference for bigger airplanes is no more the fad for global carriers.

To bride this gap, global carriers are embracing the use of medium range fuel economical airplanes to navigate the pandemic until the industry returns to a rebound.

Though medium range aircraft such as Brazillian Embrear has been in use by many carriers, including Associated Aviation, Virgin Nigeria Airways, Arik Air and AeroContractors in Nigeria, more carriers, especially Air Peace, have also embraced it.

Such an aircraft, an expert, Mr Alex Nwuba, said is best suited for operators who understand the dynamics of commercial air transport.

Besides saving fuel costs, which experts said, account for over 40 per cent of airlines’ bill, regional jets such as Embrear‘s 195-E2 will enable airlines minimise costs in achieving a sustainable operations.

Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika said many airlines could surpass their achievements if they utilise the right airplanes.

According to Sirika, appropriate airplane use is among the key factors that will enable an airline achieve profitability.

Sirika said most carriers were responding to challenges of the time by acquiring new airplanes to reduce the huge offshore funds spent in fixing airplanes at maintenance facilities.

Besides, the minister said only creative carriers would take the courageous step of buying such airplanes, urging its managers to look critically at how to achieve cost-friendly operations based on airplane’s use, growth capacity and appropriate flight scheduling as well as pricing structure

Described as audacious, a move by a carrier, Sirika said the airline had rewritten the narrative about indigenous carriers in their capacity to embrace global move in modernising the aircraft in their fleet.

He said the Federal Government had a few years ago designed a roadmap for the sector that would assist indigenous carriers to acquire appropriate airplanes in deepening the development of the airline sub sector.

Only last week, Air Peace received one of the 30 Embrear 195-E2 aircraft it ordered from the Brazillian aircraft maker.

The road to the delivery had begun in 2019, when the carrier signed an agreement with Embrear, to buy 30 airplanes to boost its operations.

Out of the 30 Embraer 195 E2 jets, the carrier, according to Peace Air’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Allen Onyema,  ordered 13, but announced purchase rights for 17.

Air Peace, investigations have shown, is the first operator of Embraer 195 E 2 in Africa.

Airlines, it was shown, are rushing for the Embraer 195-E2 aircraft because if offers  passengers aisle access.

The aircraft allows passengers to enter and leave their seats without hopping over their neighbour’s seat.

The airplanes, the carrier said, will assist in achieving its expansion plans.

Air Peace is among the second in global carriers in ordering brand new Embraer jets, after Lufthansa German Airlines, which took delivery of 35.

On the aircraft’s performance, Onyema said: ”The Embraer E195-E2 is the perfect aircraft to expand our domestic and regional operations. We are aware of the aircraft’s economic performance as well as its unique configuration. These are the major reasons we placed order for this type of aircraft.

“The aircraft will further help us actualise our ambition of connecting not just Nigeria, but also the entire African continent while feeding long haul flights from our Lagos hub.”

President/Chief Executive Officer, Commercial Business Aviation, Embraer, Mr Arjan Meija said the decision of a  carrier to acquire the brand new Embraer 195-E2, which he described as the “Profit hunter aircraft “, would assist the carrier in achieving its ambition of connecting not just Nigeria, but also the African continent while feeding long haul flights from its hub in Lagos.

Senate Committee Chairman on Aviation, Smart Adeyemi described the decision by Air Peace to acquire brand new Embraer 196-E2 jets as a courageous step by investors in the aviation sector, saying running airline business with the right aircraft is the strategic way out of the pandemic, judging by developments in global aviation, for which Nigeria is not insulated.

He said the carrier has opened a new chapter in the history of aviation through its fleet enhancement programme borne out of foresight and ingenious business strategy.

According to him, ”Air Peace has opened a new chapter in the history of air transportation as the use of brand new planes is a blast that will echo to the international community that Nigerian carriers are getting it right by deploying middle size, efficient aircraft to routes at a time global aviation is experiencing low passenger traffic.”

An expert, who declined to be named, described the strides by the carrier in its sixth year of existence as phenomenal, saying the move to bring brand new planes shows to aircraft manufacturers, and global insurance players that Nigeria is not an aviation high-risk country.

Besides, the expert said the development would also signal Nigeria as a strong carrier that can compete with global airlines.

Investigations have shown that many passengers are upbeat about new airplanes. They are, however, urging the government to support such airlines rather than dissipating much energy in the proposed carrier.

Also, an aircraft engineer, Sheri Kyari, said Nigerian carriers were beginning to embrace strategic initiative that would keep them afloat.

He said in the last few years discernible operator realised that middle size, fuel economic airplanes are suitable to run their route network.

The analyst said new airplanes such as Embraer 195-E2 would not only save the carrier fuel, but also lead to reduced maintenance and other costs. Besides, he added, this would offer passengers efficient travel in the latest aircraft technology.

Noting the decision of some indigenous carriers, including Air Peace, to resume on some routes it hitherto abandoned, the aircraft engineer said brand new planes would assist airlines to achieve effective equipment utilisation.

Investigations have shown that the Brazilian aircraft is making in-roads into the sector  by supplying regional jets to many carriers.

Embraer released its recent Commercial Market Outlook has detailed global passenger demand for air travel and new aircraft deliveries over the next 10 years.

It shows that the global pandemic is reshaping air travels and demanding new aircraft, with four main drivers.

According to the Commercial Market Outlook, airlines are emphasising fleet right-sizing with a shift to smaller capacity and more versatile aircraft to match weaker demand.

The outlook indicates that firms that use aircraft are seeking protect their supply chains from external shocks that will bring businesses closer, and generate new traffic flows under regional arrangements.

The Commercial Market Outlook highlighted passenger behaviour tilting preference for shorter-haul flights.

Studies have shown that passengers are emphasising  environmental considerations with renewed focus on more efficient greener aircraft types.

Meijer said: “The short-term impact of the global pandemic has long-term implications for new aircraft demand.

“Our forecast reflects preference for more profitable smaller airplanes to match weaker travel demand.”

On how local carriers could navigate the pandemic as it affects the use of smaller airplanes, the Group Managing Director, Nigerian Aviation Handling (NAHCO) Plc, Mrs Tokunbo Fagbemi said strategic route planning and equipment choice would give carriers the edge.

She said airlines could use smaller airplanes such Embraer 195-E2 regional jets to connect secondary airports such as Akure, Ibadan, Ilorin, Benin, Asaba and Makurdi using appropriate fare pricing to attract passengers.

Mrs Fagbemi said with a small or medium size aircraft, operators could attract more passengers to such airports by looking beyond routine operations and venturing into cargo.

She said: “The question of airline’s profitability deepends on a lot factors ranging from the equipment choice and size to the fare structure as well as timing of schedule. Any operator who targets the right time for the flight when the propensity to fly is high will certainly break even and become profitable if the aircraft is properly utilised.

“This accounts for the reason  local airlines are going for smaller or medium range aircraft to service small airports with moderate passenger capacity.

“Besides, local airlines could go beyond scheduled passenger operations and look at the cargo chain with appropriate charges to make up for shortfall in passenger because of the pandemic.”

A United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-licensed flight dispatcher, Mrs. Victoria Adegbe, said airlines were rooting for suitable airplanes to make up for sharp drop passenger traffic.

Citing Air Peace, which has different aircraft, including its Embraer regional jets, she said it deployed such airplanes on not-very-busy routes when there was dip in passenger traffic.