By Francis Ogwo
The rising cost of local air travels in Nigeria has been lamented by the Senate while calling for conscious strategies towards solving the problem.
This was contained in a media chat on with the Chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation, Senator Smart Adeyemi, on Friday.
Adeyemi described the over 100 per cent hike in airfare prices as outrageous while stating that there have been unnecessary flight delays and cancellations by the airlines which they usually attribute to operational challenges, without adequate compensation for passengers.
The senator said, “The increase in the cost of local flight is unjustifiable. We cannot afford to ignore it any longer. The hike in their charges is becoming unbearable even for political office holders because when we travel, we go with our aides.
“We are actually feeling it because some of us would have to go with about two or three aides while traveling. When we have that entourage and we want to do a round trip for all of them, we feel the pain. So, we want the fares to be reduced but at the same time, the government should consider the request of the operators.
“If the government cannot give palliative now, it should rather give the airlines a very low customs duty to clear their imported spare parts from the ports. Many Nigerians are traveling by air now because most of the roads are bad, as a result of downpour, and there is insecurity. People are trying to avoid kidnapping, robbery and accidents.
“Some of the airline operators are complaining that the exchange rate is affecting their operations as they rely on imported spare parts to fix faulty aircraft.
“We are also appealing to the Federal Government on their behalf to give them waivers so that they could clear their goods and fix the airlines to prevent them from cutting corners which could be counterproductive,” Adeyemi added.
Speaking further, Adeyemi cautioned the airline operators against exploiting the current situation to rip travellers off their reserves even as the country battles recession.
Adeyemi was of the view that the increment in air travels was a global issue arising from the effects of COVID-19 pandemic while adding that the airlines had pointed out that safety protocols put in place had reduced the number of passengers that an airline could carry to avoid physical contact.
He added that the exchange rate had gone up, which informed their request for a waiver for them to bring in imported spare parts to service and maintain their engine.
“In the Senate, we also believe that the airlines are entitled to palliatives. We are therefore calling the attention of the government to the conditions of the airlines. There is the need to encourage them because they are assisting in galvanising social and economic activities in the country.
“The operators should not also shortchange the passengers by hiding under operational challenges to cancel or delay flights without adequate compensation for the helpless passengers,” he added.
Recall that the general public had made an outcry over the recent hike in price of airfares across the country which was said to be at 100%.
