Senate to Peg Minimum Fleet for Domestic Airlines

Samuel Mobolaji

Chairman, Senate committee on Aviation, Abdul fatai Buhari says the country’s Senate is presently proposing a bill that will mandate domestic airlines to have minimum of between four and five aircraft before commencing flight operations

This is just as the Acting director general of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Chris Najomo, has called on stakeholders to collaborate to address service deficiencies, poor passenger experience and other challenges in the aviation sector.

Speaking at the South-West Regional Air Transportation Summit in Lagos on Wednesday, Senator Buhari said the proposed bill is one way to address capacity issues leading to incessant delays and perennial flight cancellations.

The theme of this summit, “Repositioning the Nigerian Aviation Industry for Financial Capability and Economic Viability: An Inclusive Regulatory Dialogue.

Although, the regulatory authority had in July 2023, unveiled its policy stating that from January 2025, the minimum aircraft fleet of any airline providing scheduled such service in Nigeria would be six aircraft, as against the minimum of three aircraft, which has been the policy over the years, Buhari said despite stakeholders’ opposition, such bill is the way to go.

The NCAA policy also insisted that the maximum aircraft that must be airworthy out of that six aircraft should be four. This means that an airline is expected to ground its operations if it has less than four aircraft that is airworthy.

“Nigerian airlines should be professional, Nigerians want to see confidence, they want comfort and want to be assured of safety, if an airline has just two aircraft, it should operate within the confines of its capacity and not overburden itself with multiple routes than can’t be served.

“It is sad to experience delayed flights, we need to do the right thing for the sector to excell and compete favourably with our counterpart. We are working on a bill that will make it mandatory for prospective and existing airlines have minimum of four or five aircraft to start operations.’ he said.

Represented by the Director, Airspace and Aerodrome standards, Engr. Godwin Balang, Najomo acknowledged that the ‘Nigerian economy is facing significant macroeconomic and developmental challenges, but they are surmountable through implementing innovative approaches.’

“No doubt, a sustainable regulatory framework built on collective engagement and strategic collaboration is critical to achieving operational excellence, enhanced productivity, and sector growth without compromising safety standards.

“With the support of this minister, we at NCAA are committed to rebranding, reinventing, and rejuvenating the Nigerian aviation sector for international competitiveness, sustainable growth and development.” he said.