My people, e don trend for our aviation sector o! Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) don drop news wey no too sweet for local airlines. Domestic air travel don waka belle face while international flights dey rise like pepper soup with goat meat.
According to FAAN latest figures wey dem release, domestic passenger movement don fall to 12.54 million in 2024 from 14.52 million wey dem see for 2022. That one na wah, because e show say domestic travel don shrink finish, wey dey cause wahala for our local airlines wey dem dey complain say taxes plenty for their side.
Meanwhile, as local travel dey tumble, international travel dey shine like diamond. FAAN talk say international flights don jump from 3.75 million passengers in 2022 to 4.07 million in 2023, wey be 8.4 percent increase. And e no stop there— e still climb reach 4.33 million passengers for 2024!
This big waka no be for play; e dey show say our people dey find way to travel abroad plenty pass before because dem dey play around with high-income travellers, migration, and cross-border trade. Na im make international airlines dey chop well while local airlines dey suffer.
People wey sabi the matter dey yell say dis trend no make sense at all. The problem wey dey affect domestic airlines no be only taxes; dem talk say na customer service wey no dey stable too. Mohammed Badamosi, one retired pilot, don open eye for this matter. E dey jibe say as e fit travel by road with better price and lesser wahala, why go enter plane wey fit cancel anytime?
Badamosi don gree say many passengers no wan deal with all those flight delays wey dey scatter person plans. He dey reason am say if Nigerians dey sure say dem go reach where dem dey go without wahala, why dem go choose air travel wey dey turn to jackpot? Him talk say, “People don get better alternative for ground. E go make sense if airline operators fit treat dem better, no go dey delay people’s time.”
No be small mata o! E don show say if our local airlines no fit change their style, e go hard for dem to come back strong. E go beta if dem fit package tourism well like dey do for oyinbo country, wey go include all those transport and accommodation vibes together.
So, my people, make we dey follow this gist well well; we need our local airlines to up their game before the oga at the top waka comot go international! Naija we dey, and we need balance for our aviation wahala.
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