Nigerian airlines delayed 93 flights daily between January and June

Airlines operating in the country delayed an average of 93 flights every day between January and June 2018.

Muhtar Usman, director general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), provided this information while speaking at an interactive forum with Aviation Agencies and Airlines’ Information Managers in Lagos.

He said 348 flights were cancelled for various reasons during the said period.

“The eight domestic airlines recorded a total of 16,880 delayed flights with 253 cancellations,” the NCAA DG said.

“Also, 33 airlines on the international routes recorded 2,443 delayed flights and cancelled 95 flights.

According to him, flights can be delayed or cancelled for safety and operational reasons, especially during adverse weather conditions, but they must be done in accordance with standard civil aviation regulations.

He said all airlines had been warned against incessant flight delays and cancellations.

The director-general said NCAA had begun the process of streamlining aviation charge, saying the charges are quite moderate when compared to other countries.

“There are some existing charges in other countries that are not applicable in Nigeria and this is not to overburden airlines,” he explained.

He said the goal of NCAA was to continue to collaborate with other agencies and stakeholders in order to create a robust aviation industry that could contribute more to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).