Foreign Airlines Sold N231bn in Tickets in 2013 - NCAA

Chinedu Eze

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has disclosed that foreign airlines sold N231 billion tickets, while domestic carriers sold N73 billion in 2013.

This was disclosed by the Director-General of the regulatory body, Captain Usman Mukhtar, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos on Thursday while delivering a keynote address at the 20th annual League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC).
Mukhtar, who was represented by the Director of the Consumer Protection Directorate, Mr. Adamu Abdullahi, further disclosed that during the period domestic airlines airlifted five million passengers across the country and 277,000 passengers were also airlifted at various destinations in the West Coast.

Also passenger movement on international routes was put at 1.4 million and 437, 000 were also airlifted to African destinations.

“In 2013, the total amount of ticket sold by domestic airlines was N73 billion naira. On the other hand, the foreign airlines sold tickets worth 231 billion in the same year. The domestic airlines were able to ferry 5 million passengers across Nigeria in 2013. On the West Coast route, 277,000 passengers were moved. In Intra – African route 437,000 passengers and on the intercontinental route 1.4 million passengers were airlifted.

Mukhtar said all these were achieved with the domestic airlines operating a total of 63,000 frequencies across the country and on the West Coast; there were 4,000 frequencies; also 4,000 intra-Africa and 7,300 intercontinental frequencies.

He said in recognition of the increase in the volume of passengers, the Directorate of Consumer Protection (DCP) has intensified efforts to process complaints and ensure comfort of air travellers.

The Director-General also said that the country has become an attractive destination for foreign airlines, adding that Nigeria presently has Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) with 78 countries.

“Nigeria has therefore become an attractive destination for foreign airlines and ceaseless application for additional frequencies. At present Nigeria has Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) with 78 countries. However, some of these are not being utilised.

“In order to strengthen and widen our BASA with existing and new countries, Nigerian delegates will be attending an International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Air Services Negotiation Conference (ICAN 2014) from 17th – 21st November 2014 at Bali, Indonesia,” he said.

Speaking on the impending ICAO audit he said: “In the ICAO audit conducted a few years back, Nigeria scored very high marks. But there is an impending ICAO audit again and I am sure no one is losing sleep over that as the authority has proven to be equal to the task.”

The audit, he said, would achieve excellence in safety, air navigation capacity and efficiency, security and facilitation, adding that it would also enhance economic development of air transportation and environmental protection.

Culled from: http://www.thisdaylive.com