By Dickson Omobola

The International Air Transport Association, IATA, has lamented the high operating costs faced by Nigerian airlines, saying aside from Afghanistan, Nigeria remained one of the most difficult places to establish and sustain an airline business.

Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East at the International Air Transport Association, IATA, Kamil Al-Awadhi, who disclosed this weekend, said while Afghanistan was difficult because of its security and political situation, the costs associated with airline operations in Nigeria were enormous.

He also decried the slow implementation of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, directive on a 25 per cent reduction in regional air transport charges to lower air fares across the sub-region.

Addressing newsmen at the 82nd IATA Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Al-Awadhi said despite ongoing efforts by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, to improve the operating environment, conditions remained challenging for indigenous carriers.

His words: “The toughest place to open an airline today is either Afghanistan or Nigeria. Afghanistan because it is a disaster and Nigeria because it is unbelievably expensive to operate.

“Though Nigeria has a minister of transportation who has done incredible work to try to stabilise a little bit and reduce some of the costs, it is still really tough to operate in Nigeria if you are a Nigerian operator.

“If you are outside, you are only subjected to some of these requirements per flight. But for Nigerian carriers, it is quite hard. But I praise the minister for doing a lot towards improving the situation in a very short period. In less than two years, he has done a lot for Nigerian aviation.”

On ECOWAS 25 per cent reduction in regional air transport charges, he said: “ECOWAS did an amazing job on the 25 per cent reduction in taxes, fees, levies and all that, which is perfect.

‘’Only one country so far in ECOWAS has adopted it, which is a shame, I praise the country but I am not going to mention it. It’s on my agenda, literally, to discuss when the other countries are going to apply this ECOWAS consideration, and the prices should drop.”