As N/Assembly fumes, airlines list 16 reasons for flight delays

The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), a body of domestic airline owners, has listed 16 reasons for flight delays. This is coming a few days after the National Assembly vowed to summon operators to explain incessant flight delays in the country.  The Joint National Assembly Committees on Aviation had last week expressed worry over incessant […]

The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), a body of domestic airline owners, has listed 16 reasons for flight delays.

This is coming a few days after the National Assembly vowed to summon operators to explain incessant flight delays in the country. 

The Joint National Assembly Committees on Aviation had last week expressed worry over incessant flight delays which, they said, was no longer acceptable.

A statement by the AON yesterday listed factors such as weather, inadequate aircraft parking space, restrictions caused by sunset airports, delays due to VIP movements, frequent bird strikes and Foreign Object Damage (FOD) as some of the reasons.

Others are the unavailability and ever-rising cost of aviation fuel; unavailability of forex for spare parts and maintenance, delays from customs in the clearing of safety-critical spare parts, poor air traffic flow and inadequate check-in counters.

The airline operators also pointed at inadequate screening and exit points at departure and unserviceable baggage claim machines (carousel), inadequate and unreliable ground services equipment, unruly behaviour of passengers, lack of runway lights as well as unforeseen circumstances due to component failures and ground accidents

According to the statement, 80% of causes of delays and cancellations are factors that are neither in the control of airlines nor caused by them.

 “This is no fault of airlines but yet another delay cause for which the domestic airlines take the fall for the entire system on a daily basis.

“Frequent bird strikes and Foreign Object Damage (FOD) damage many aircraft during landing, taxiing or take off at airports across the country, thereby forcing the aircraft to be parked abruptly until a replacement can be marshalled to operate a flight.

 “Unavailability and the ever-rising cost of Aviation Fuel; JetA1 today costs above N410 in Lagos, N422 in Abuja and Port Harcourt, and N429 in Kano per litre and has continued to rise fast and steadily. 

“On top of the continuous rise in fuel price, fuel supply is at best epileptic at several airports thereby causing delays,” the statement said.