AIR Peace Chairman, Allen Onyema, has warned that Nigeria’s aviation industry is facing an existential crisis, saying several domestic airlines could collapse within the next 30 days unless urgent measures are taken to address the mounting challenges confronting operators.
News Point Nigeria reports that Onyema raised the alarm on the sidelines of the launch of Pathways, Pilgrimage and Destiny, the biography of Med-View Airline Chairman, Muneer Bankole.
The Air Peace chairman said the controversy over the remittance of the five per cent Ticket and Cargo Sales Charge (TSC) was not a result of airlines’ refusal to pay statutory charges, but rather the burden created by the current system of collecting the levy.
He called for constructive engagement between the Federal Government and airline operators to develop a more practical revenue collection model, suggesting the adoption of a fixed unit charge that would eliminate disputes over the components of airfares subject to the levy.
Onyema also condemned threats by labour unions to picket airlines over the dispute, describing the move as unprecedented and an attempt to intimidate operators.
He maintained that airlines had consistently engaged with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Federal Ministry of Aviation, stressing that the industry had no dispute with labour unions.
According to him, Nigerian airlines are operating under extremely harsh conditions, with high borrowing costs, inadequate infrastructure, bird strikes and multiple operating charges posing serious threats to their survival.
Onyema urged the Federal Government to intervene urgently to prevent further airline failures, noting that more than 50 Nigerian airlines had folded over the years despite the success recorded by their owners in other sectors.
He expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu remained supportive of indigenous carriers and would not allow the aviation industry to collapse.
The Air Peace chairman therefore called for policies that would strengthen rather than weaken domestic airlines, stressing the need to ensure the long-term sustainability and survival of Nigeria’s aviation sector.
