The cost of air travel has hit an all time high in Nigeria largely due to circumstances beyond the control of the operators.
While passengers continue to groan about the effect of this on their pockets and the operators appear helpless, aviation experts say proactive solutions should be utilised in addressing the challenge.
This is against the backdrop of their worries that the collapse of the sector would have dire implications on the economy.
Their concerns date back to several months ago when airlines pushed up prices of air tickets to at least fifty thousand naira per route.
A development blamed on the rising cost and scarcity of the jet A1, popularly called the aviation fuel.
The air travellers had hoped and prayed at that time that the aviation fuel would become more available and less costly but that was never to be and the situation continues to worsen.
Operators in the aviation sector say the cause of the rising ticket costs is not limited to the jet a1 alone but forex as well.
The exit of two airlines from the industry has further compounded an already bad situation.
Aerocontractors which is one of the country’s oldest airlines left due to its inability to continue in business.
Dana Air on the other hand, had its licence suspended for operational infractions.
This has left flyers with fewer options to choose from and put more pressure on demand.
The aviation authorities recently had a closed door meeting with the operators and though admitting to the airline operators that there was no immediate solution in sight, they pledged commitment to finding ways of tackling the issues.
The airline operators obviously unhappy with the developments in their industry seemed to support existing efforts by the authourities.
Aviation Experts however seem not to be in agreement with the authourities’ stance of being at sea with finding lasting solutions to the sector’s setbacks.
They worry that the industry may collapse if nothing is done as a matter of priority, and fear many more airlines might be forced to close shop.
Aviation experts have advised that the industry players must not be left alone to struggle to stay business.
They seek urgent interventions as the industry plays a critical economic role and its crash will grossly affect the economy in so many ways.
