Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), the umbrella body of all Nigerian airlines has released a statement to set the record straight about the causes of domestic flight delays and cancellations, which are reported to be rampant in the country in recent times.
According to sources, the Operators found it paramount to address the issue following “unhelpful comments” by Senator Smart Adeyemi, who reportedly threatened to invite foreign airlines to operate domestic flights in the country “should local carriers fail to sit up”- a statement he made during a recent joint oversight visit of the National Assembly Committee on Aviation at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos.
In its press release, AON delved deep into the plethora of causes of domestic flight delays and cancellations, noting that aside from being beyond airline’s control 80% of the time, most delays and cancellations are not even caused by airlines.
According to AON, the major factors responsible for delays and cancellations are weather; congested aprons which lead to inadequate aircraft parking spaces; delays due to VIP movements; restrictions caused by sunset airports; frequent bird strikes; scarcity of JetA1 and Forex; delays from customs in clearing of critical safety spare parts; poor air traffic flow; inadequate check-in counters, screening and exit points at departure; inadequate/unreliable ground services equipment; unserviceable baggage claim machines; unruly passenger behaviour; lack of runway lights; unforeseen circumstances amongst others.
The statement further reads, “AON invites the public to note that delays caused by any (or a combination) of the above factors to a single flight in an airline’s flight schedule also has a correspondingly serious impact on virtually all the other flights planned on the network for that day. Simply put, it is a ripple effect, which airlines do their utmost best to manage within the circumstances and the operational environment.”
AON thus enjoined those in public office to make informed statements about matters in aviation in order to avoid misguiding the general public, noting that if all the aforesaid causes of delays and cancellations are adequately and promptly addressed by the authorities concerned, passengers’ flying experience will improve by a whopping 80%, as rampant delays/cancellations will be a thing of the past.
