The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has said increased competition in Nigeria’s aviation sector will help drive down domestic airfares, following complaints by travellers over the high cost of flights.
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Keyamo stated this on Thursday during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he said domestic ticket prices had already dropped from the high rates recorded during the Christmas period.
According to him, the Federal Government is opening up the aviation market to more operators in order to create competition and reduce fares.
“Guess what? What did you pay during Christmas? Four hundred and something, five hundred thousand. What is it now? It’s a hundred and something. We are forcing it down by competition. We have opened the doors,” he said.
The minister said Nigeria was witnessing an unprecedented rise in the number of airlines entering the commercial aviation market, unlike what obtained under previous administrations.
“Under the previous government, you have not seen this kind of surge we are having now into the airline business, commercial airline business, like you have now,” he said.
He listed Enugu Air among the new entrants and disclosed that Caliphate Airlines was preparing to commence operations in Sokoto.
Keyamo said the new airlines were being established on more sustainable business models, adding that President Bola Tinubu’s administration had made the growth and survival of local airlines a major priority.
“It’s only President Bola Tinubu’s government that has made it a point, a one-point agenda, to support the sustenance of local airlines. The growth and sustenance of local airlines,” he said.
On the high cost of aviation fuel, Keyamo said the price of Jet A1 was outside the regulatory control of the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development because it is a petroleum product under the petroleum sector.
He said although he had held meetings with fuel marketers and engaged stakeholders on the matter, his ministry lacked the authority to regulate or determine the price of aviation fuel.
The minister attributed part of the recent spike in Jet A1 prices to external factors, including the conflict involving Iran, but said prices had started declining.
He argued that while aviation is directly affected by fuel cost, it would be unfair to blame the aviation ministry for an issue outside its regulatory mandate.
Keyamo also addressed the recent Enugu Air incident at Benin Airport, describing it as an isolated occurrence caused by a slippery runway.
He cautioned against drawing conclusions before investigations are completed, saying it was too early to give full details of the incident.
An Enugu Air Embraer E170 aircraft arriving from Lagos had recently overshot and veered off the runway at Benin Airport. All passengers and crew were safely evacuated, with no injuries reported.
Following the incident, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria temporarily closed the runway for safety inspections, while some domestic airlines suspended flights to and from Benin City pending the reopening of the facility.
The minister also confirmed that the crew of the foreign-registered private jet that landed on a concrete road instead of the runway at Asaba Airport in June remain in the custody of the State Security Service for questioning.
He described the incident as a serious security breach, saying investigations were ongoing to determine why the crew allegedly ignored air traffic control instructions and landed outside the secured airport perimeter.
“The private jet incident was a security breach, and we are treating it as such. The pilots and crew are still in SSS custody, undergoing rigorous questioning to determine why they landed where they did,” Keyamo said.
According to him, the aircraft had been cleared to land on the airport runway, but instead touched down on a road outside the airport environment.
“The tower at Asaba asked if they were on approach and cleared them to land. But they refused to land on the runway. When controllers contacted them again, asking, ‘You are not on the runway, where are you?’ it became clear they had landed on a concrete road outside the airport,” he said.
Keyamo said the crew further raised security concerns by departing the scene before accident investigators could inspect the aircraft and question those on board.
“When you make such a serious mistake, you are expected to remain at the scene until accident investigators arrive. Instead, the crew took off again. That was when I contacted the Director-General of the SSS, and arrangements were made for the aircraft’s crew to be picked up immediately on arrival in Lagos,” he said.
He explained that the aircraft was registered in the United States, which accounted for the age of the pilot, who was above Nigeria’s maximum age limit for commercial pilots.
“The aircraft is not Nigerian-registered; it is registered in the United States. That is why the pilot is over 70 years old. Under Nigerian regulations, commercial pilots cannot continue flying beyond the age of 65. Foreign-registered aircraft operating under wet lease, dry lease or short-term lease arrangements often come into Nigeria for limited periods before returning to their home base,” he said.
The Asaba incident occurred on June 10, when a US-registered Bombardier Challenger 601-3A, with registration number N989BC, operated by VMO Aero Limited, was flying from Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, to Asaba under Instrument Flight Rules.
A preliminary report by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau showed that after discontinuing its initial approach, the crew attempted a second approach to Runway 11, believing they were aligned with the published Required Navigation Performance procedure.
However, the aircraft landed on a paved road under construction near the airport instead of the designated runway.
The jet, which had four crew members and three passengers on board, later departed from the runway and returned to Lagos. No injuries were reported.
Following the incident, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority grounded the aircraft after it arrived in Lagos and suspended VMO Aero Limited’s Permit for Non-Commercial Flight pending investigations.
The NSIB has also commenced investigation into the occurrence, with investigators reviewing flight data, interviewing the crew, examining air traffic control communications and analysing operational procedures in line with international aviation safety standards.
Keyamo said the ongoing investigation would establish why the crew failed to land on the runway despite receiving clearance and whether further regulatory or security actions would be taken.
The minister also disclosed that the Federal Government was considering the concession of more airports that are not financially viable as part of efforts to improve their efficiency, operations and long-term sustainability.
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