The drive by state governments to establish airlines is gathering pace, with seven states now venturing into the commercial aviation sector in the past 10 years, starting from 2016 till date.
While five state-backed carriers have already commenced operations, Kano and Sokoto states are in different stages of launching their airlines, to be named Kano Airline and Caliphate Airline, respectively.
The five states that have already established their state-owned airlines include: Imo Air by Imo State; Ibom Air by Akwa Ibom State; Cally Air by Cross River State, Enugu Air by Enugu State and Pioneer Air by Bayelsa State.
With the foray of different states into airline ventures, despite the harsh operating environment, aviation stakeholders have varied views on the new development.
They argued that while state governments often justify the projects as a means of boosting connectivity, tourism and economic development, many of the airline initiatives are largely politically driven and lack long-term commercial viability.
Speaking on the proliferation of airlines across the country, spokesperson of the defunct Nigeria Airways and Chief Executive Officer of Belujane Konzult, Mr Chris Aligbe, stated that the state’s airlines are products of necessity and at the same time, killer products.
Aligbe said: “The state-owned airlines are rising because of the failure of private operators. They have no future and they will mess up the future of private airlines.”
While pointing out that Enugu Air will undermine the passengers of Air Peace and United Nigeria Airlines, the experts equally stated the Cally Air, on the other hand, will impact on Ibom Air customers because 80 percent of passengers going to Uyo use the airline.
Aligbe, however, commended Ibom Air, stating that, among the sub-national airlines, the airline has managed to establish a good reputation with a vision. He noted that the establishment of state-owned airlines is a response to meet the needs of their states.
Aligbe also reasoned that it is equally a priority for them, adding that “It is a priority for them. They have no future and they will kill the existing private airlines.”
Commenting on the issue, a former Commandant of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, Group Captain John Ojikutu, said that states venturing into airport and airline businesses are those ones where the governors are on their last term.
Also, Group Captain Ojikutu noted that Akwa Ibom had its plan done before now by Aviation Development Company (ADC) Plc team from Calabar, adding “I have not seen nor can see any State that has built airport or has Airline and would progress like Akwa Ibom and Ibom Air.”
Ojikutu affirmed that with the way most of the other states are going, he is not sure they have credible business plan submitted to the NCAA.
“Ibom Airport and Airline are progressing from the credibility of the programmed business plan of the former ADC crew of Capt. Udom who was the last CEO of Ibom Air and Capt. Okon both former MDs of the defunct ADC”, he said.
“The implication of the multiplication of the number of airlines and airports without increase in the national passenger traffic or from the geographical zone of the new airports, is nothing but waste of financial resources that would have served the people better. Since 2020 when the projected passenger traffic figure was 20m, we have not gotten that figure even now in 2026, 6 years after the projected date. Beside Lagos with over 6 million passenger traffic figures in the South-West, no airport has passenger traffic up to 200,000 annually in that zone. So also, beside Abuja which has 6 million passengers and Kano, 1 million, no airport in the three northern zones has passenger traffic of 200,000”, the aviation expert emphasised.
Explaining further, he added that “The total number of passengers in South West is less than 2 million at the four airports, so too is the passenger traffic in South-South at the four airports. The implication is on the Government spending money on the periodic maintenance of these airports, but how many of them generate sufficient revenues to sustain their operations and the periodic maintenance programme to meet the National/International Safety and Security Standards and Regulations? This is a major problem for the NCAA to solve”.
In his submission, Secretary General of Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP), Comrade Abdulrasaq Saidu pointed out that most of the state-owned established airlines and even the airports are politically motivated to hoodwink the citizens.
Saidu argued that, looking closely, one can easily find out that, states that are venturing into such huge projects have not been able to provide its citizens good roads, schools, housing etc., saying “Most of the states establishing the airlines and airports are not professionals. They are opening it to deceive their people and for political gains. Above all, their citizens don’t have dividends of democracy”.
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The labour leader further explained that, such establishments put a burden on the federal government as no sooner that they are established, they are handed over to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN)to manage due to their incapacity, listing Akure Airport, Owerri Airport and others as few examples.
“Such state ventures are not in the interest of the federal government because on the long run it will put financial strain on the Government, as it would require funding in terms of operational costs in the areas of Staffing, equipment, safety, security, conducive environment to commence operations”.
In his reaction, transportation expert and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Geography, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Lagos, Dr Femi Aiyegbajeje opined that state establishment of airports and airlines has positive impact on the sector and economy as a whole. According to Aiyegbajeje, such ventures will boost connectivity nationwide and open up access to every nook and cranny of the country, On job creation the university don assured that, with such investments, pilots, travel agencies, caterers, ground handling companies and those involved in airport and aviation allied services will be gainfully employed.
“With the new development, there would be cargo and logistics development across the regions. There would be airport utilisation and infrastructure developments. Access roads to the airport would be developed and more businesses would spring up. Of course, tourism would be developed and it also offers avenue for state branding”, Aiyegbajeje said.
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