THE chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, has revealed that 95% of the reasons for flight delays are beyond the airlines’ control.
Onyema, the vice president of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), bemoaned the fact that operators were being demonized and demarketed even by government entities for flight delays that were largely out of their control.
He said this at the public launch of the book “Air Transportation In Nigeria: The Lingering Expectations,” written by aviation writers Chinedu Eze and Olusegun Koiki.
The Air Peace boss also threatened to suspend the Air Peace trip to Gombe due to a lack of luggage and passenger screening scanners.
He bemoaned the inadequate facilities at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, stating that only a few check-in counters were being used by roughly ten airlines.
He said aircraft leaving Lagos for Abuja would experience hours of delays in Abuja before returning to the next destination.
“We have written to FAAN, in fact, the AON has written to the ministry on the issue of the Abuja check-in terminal. It’s crazy out there, nine or 10 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.”
On the Gombe airport, he said the airline was receiving support from the state government and had reached out to the airport authority to provide the necessary scanners for the safety of passengers and airport users.
