May 01, (THEWILL) – Statistics have revealed that the recovery of travel in Nigeria post COVID, is the highest in the world, putting the country’s record higher than the world and continent figures.
Mr Bankole Bernard, the CEO of Finchglow Travels, who disclosed the new development in Lagos on Friday, wondered why the record is being made by same country where it is perceived that they have no money nor a national carrier.
According to Bankole, Nigeria’s recovery rate tells that Nigerians have developed the culture of flying and the number keeps increasing by the day, which means it is a viable market.
Bankole, a former President of the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agents (NANTA), condemned the idea of tagging some airports as non viable, stating that, “If you say it is not commercially viable, why don’t you allow those that have interest in those airports to turn them around? I have always said it that the government is not in a business of doing business. They are regulators. They should stick to their strength, which is regulating, while we allow the business people to handle the business aspect of this?
Noting that airport terminals are no longer what they used to be globally, Bankole observed that in some countries, they have turned their airports into a shopping mall – local and international, where you can do a lot of things.
“And that alone attracts passengers to ply such airport. So, if we have such a viable business outlook, why should we continue to say an airport is not commercially viable? There are quite a lot of things that we need to do and when we put those things in the right perspective, an airport becomes commercially viable.
“Akure airport for instance, had only one airline going there before, but now about three airlines go there. Are you still saying the traffic is still the way it was? Let me remind you at this point that Nigerians are constantly developing the culture of flying.
“They shouldn’t tell us our airports are not commercially viable. People like us that come in, have even the opportunity to prove that these airports are viable. How do you make an airport viable when you only put on the generator when you have an aircraft approaching and the moment the aircraft lands, you put off the generator again? This will not be viable because you have lost communication, so even when people show up and they can’t get electricity, they will probably stop.
“There are quite a lot of things we need to do to make our airports commercially viable, as long as there is a genuine interest and we give it to those that are passionate about the industry and not give it to our friends to manage.
“They have gone far with the concessioning of the four presumed viable airports. The question is what happens to the rest? Why are we not talking about it? Can we shift attention to the ones we think are not viable and take a look at it? And if they can make it viable, it becomes a different story. So, let them continue with their concessioning, but the ones you think are not commercially viable can be looked into and we can see how they can be turned around by the private sector to make it commercially viable.”
About the Author
Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.
