As many as 8,478 cases of delayed flights suffered during the first quarter of 2016

DOMESTIC airlines operating within Nigeria recorded 8,478 cases of delayed flights during first quarter of 2016 according to recent data just published by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

 

Contained in a document issued by the NCAA’s consumer protection department, which was released yesterday, the figures said a total number of 15,434 flights were operated by eight domestic airlines during the period under review, while 281 flights were cancelled. It said the airlines in operation were Aero Contractors, Arik Air, Air Peace, Azman Air, Dana Air, First Nation, Med-View and Overland.

 

Arik, which operated 4,926 flights, topped the chart of delayed and cancelled flights with 2,801 and 99 respectively. This was followed by Aero Contractors, which recorded 1,762 delayed flights and 94 cancellations, out of its 2,823 flight operations.

 

Air Peace operated 2,686 flights with 1,175 incidences of delayed flights and four cancellations. However, Arik Air attributed the delays and cancellations to the lingering scarcity of aviation fuel.

 

Ola Adebanji, Arik's communications manager, said: “With over a hundred flights daily, this limited supply of aviation fuel has resulted, regrettably, into flight delays and sometimes outright cancellations. We appeal to our valued passengers to bear with us at this time, even as we remain committed to providing safe and comfortable flight experience.”

 

Arik also apologised to the airline’s passengers for the inconvenience they might have suffered due to the fuel shortage. Over recent months, Nigeria has been plagued by chronic fuel shortages as a resulted of limited refining capacity which has resulted on a scarcity of petrol, diesel and aviation fuel.