The International Air Transport Association says Nigerian carriers operate under some of the harshest conditions globally, with only Afghanistan presenting a comparable challenge. Kamil Al-Awadhi, IATA's Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East, made the assessment at the organisation's 82nd Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil over the weekend. He singled out the enormous costs of running an airline in Nigeria as the primary obstacle, distinguishing the country's problems from Afghanistan's security and political crises.
Al-Awadhi acknowledged the efforts of Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo to improve conditions for local carriers. "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," he said. He noted that foreign airlines face requirements only per flight, while Nigerian carriers shoulder persistent burdens. Despite this, he praised Keyamo's progress in less than two years.
The IATA official also expressed frustration with the slow rollout of an Economic Community of West African States directive aimed at cutting regional air transport charges by 25 per cent. The reduction was intended to lower fares across West Africa through cuts to taxes, fees and levies. "ECOWAS did an amazing job on the 25 per cent reduction in taxes, fees, levies and all that, which is perfect," Al-Awadhi said. "Only one country so far in ECOWAS has adopted it, which is a shame."
He pledged to push other ECOWAS member states to implement the directive, warning that widespread adoption remained stalled. Al-Awadhi said he had placed the matter on his agenda to discuss implementation timelines with the remaining countries, noting that ticket prices should fall once the policy takes effect across the region.
