NCAA, Airlines Report Contradicting Figures As Flight Disruptions Surge By 119% In Four Years

• Flight disruptions have been on the increase in Nigeria, causing serious concerns for air travellers and industry stakeholders
• Data shows that the number of flight disruptions has doubled since the year of the coronavirus pandemic
• Meanwhile, stakeholders do not even know what to believe, as the regulator and airlines have contradicting numbers

Legit.ng journalist Ruth Okwumbu-Imafidon has over a decade of experience in business reporting across digital and mainstream media.

Nigerian air travellers have faced several challenges and emotional stress in recent years due to the rising number of flight disruptions among airlines in Nigeria.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has continued to push reforms to reduce the number of flight disruptions and protect passengers' rights.

Part of this is data reporting where the regulator publishes the number of flight an airline operated as scheduled, and the number disrupted.

Checks now show that there are major points of differences between the numbers posted by the NCAA and the numbers posted by the airlines, raising questions of accuracy.

Flight disruptions surge 119% among airlines in Nigeria

The truth consistent among all available data is that since the coronavirus pandemic, when the entire aviation industry was disrupted, the airlines have not improved.

In 2021, about 41, 328 flights were delayed while 542 were cancelled. This number spiked in 2022 to 47,144 flights delayed, and 795 cancelled. This marks a 14.07% and a 46.68% growth in both numbers – very unimpressive.

By 2023, flight delays were reduced to 40,524 domestic flights, and further down in 2024 to 33,235. About 400 domestic flights were cancelled in 2023, and by 2024, the domestic flights cancelled spiked to 1,189, the SUN reports.

This marks a 119.37% spike in four years, compared to 542 in 2021.

The NCAA released data showing that Air Peace, Max Air, and Arik had the highest number of delayed domestic flights, while Delta Airlines, Valuejet and Uganda Air had the most delayed international flights.

The NCAA has also issued several directives to the airlines to minimise passenger discomfort during these disruptions.

NCAA, Green Africa airline disagree over data

The disparity between the NCAA data and what these airlines have shared publicly is another rising cause of concern.

For August 2024, Green Africa shared on its X handle that it has 456 scheduled flights, with 453 operated and 53 delayed while 4 were cancelled.

The NCAA, on the other hand, reported that Green Africa operated 416 flights with 101 delays and 4 cancellations.

The disparity is seen again in the October 2024 data. Green Africa says it operated 172 flights with 42 delays and 4 cancellations, but the NCAA says 163 flights were operated with 64 delays and 1 cancellation.

Air Peace, NCAA report contradictory data

The NCAA data for Air Peace also differs from what the airline posted on its handles for different months.

In January 2024, Air Peace reported that it operated 2,627 out of 2,759 flights, with 761 delayed, 319 rescheduled, and 68 cancelled.

NCAA reported for the same month that Air Peace operated 2,164 flights, with 1,171 delayed and 39 cancelled.

In March 2024, NCAA reported that the airline operated 2,107 flights, with 881 delayed and 10 cancelled. But Air Peace posted that it operated 2,700 flights with 600 delayed, 122 rescheduled, and 30 cancelled.

The same pattern occurs for other airlines, including Ibom Air and United Nigeria Airlines, the SUN reports.

Ibom Air reported on its X handle that it operated 9,155 out of 9,582 flights scheduled in 2024, and had 1,977 delays and 427 cancellations. In contrast, NCAA reported that Ibom Air operated 7,856, had 2,739 delays and 140 cancelled flights.

United Nigeria Airlines reported 805 flights operated in February 2024, with 283 delayed and 34 cancelled, but NCAA reported 690 flights operated with 665 delayed and 22 cancelled.

For March 2024, the airline reported 681 operated flights with 79 delayed and 4 cancelled, while the NCAA reported 655 operated flights with 324 delayed and 8 cancelled.

Industry stakeholders have called for uniformity and accuracy in the reporting, urging that all cancelled airlines be reported, whether they are cancelled on the day of the flight or days before.

Flight disruptions across airlines as workers begin strike

In related news, there were recent flight disruptions across different airlines when the airport unions embarked on a strike.

Legit.ng reported that several unions were involved, including the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals, the Union of Air Transport Employees, and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical, and Recreational Services Employees.

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) had earlier sent an ultimatum with a list of demands to be met, and upon expiration of the ultimatum, it embarked on the strike.

Source: Legit.ng