Flight operations across the country are in a confused state as the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and domestic airlines engage in a blame game over the alarming rise in delays and cancellations.
While it is no longer news that the Nigerian airline industry has faced incessant cases of flight delays and outright cancellations, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has explained that its efforts to address the challenges and the identification of the lack of capacity of airlines as one of the major causes had always met stiff denial, an allegation the airline operators vehemently disagreed with.
This is as the NCAA, in an exclusive interview with LEADERSHIP Weekend, pointed to a toxic mix of inadequate airline capacity, poor scheduling practices by airlines, and rampant violations of safety protocols as the root causes of the persistent disruptions plaguing air travel.
While the authority accused some operators of overloading limited infrastructure and flouting regulatory requirements, endangering passenger safety and undermining industry stability, some airline operators who preferred not to be named, have pushed back, citing systemic inefficiencies, regulatory bottlenecks and poor government investment in aviation infrastructure on the dilemma.
On their part, airline operators in Nigeria have pushed back against the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority’s call to reduce operations amid rising flight delays and cancellations, insisting that safety remained their top priority.
The operators argue that scaling back flight schedules was not the solution, stressing that they already adhered strictly to safety protocols and operational standards. Instead, they urged the NCAA to focus on improving aviation infrastructure, addressing regulatory inefficiencies, and fostering a more supportive environment for domestic carriers.
Our correspondent reports that this standoff underscores growing tensions between the industry regulator and airline operators over the root causes of the sector’s persistent challenges.
LEADERSHIP Weekend acknowledges that, across the world, flight delays and cancellations are common in the aviation industry. Different countries offer different approaches to address these challenges, ensuring that airlines have adequate capacity in terms of planes to cater to the schedules they have booked.
In Nigeria, about 47.1 per cent of domestic flights experienced delays out of a total of 70,543 flights in 2024. That is 33,235 out of 70,543 flights, as shown in the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) data report.
Out of this number, about 1.7 per cent of flights were cancelled outright, which is about 1,189 out of 70,543 flights.
They identified capacity (aircraft scarcity), poor or excessive flight scheduling, unavailability of forex for spare parts and maintenance, incessant bird strikes, weather, among other factors, as major causes of these delays and cancellations.
Speaking exclusively to LEADERSHIP Weekend , the director of public affairs and consumer protection of the NCAA, Michael Achimugu, said, “Flight delays are due to a number of factors, including force majeure, lack of capacity, unruly passenger behaviour, unscheduled technical issues, facilitation problems not caused by the airlines, airlines’ failure to cut down their operations when the size of their fleet is reduced, among others.”
He further said delays and cancellations of flights are global phenomena, but safety is the utmost concern of both operators and regulators.
According to him, “The NCAA Directorate of Airworthiness has well-trained inspectors who work relentlessly and professionally, prioritising safety. The fact that planes are not crashing in Nigeria is not down to luck; it is because the NCAA places safety above everything else , and ensures that, at the slightest doubt, no aircraft is allowed to fly. We would rather the flight was delayed or cancelled than put lives at risk. No airline is expected to cut corners. They know the irreparable financial, operational, and reputational damage it would cause.
“As the regulator, the NCAA must enforce safety standards in line with ICAO standards and world best practices. We monitor airline operations and enforce safety regulations.”
The NCAA director further stated that the Authority has sanctioned six airlines in 2025 for some of the infractions in aviation including delays and cancellations but the goal is to improve the quality of service.
He said “It not just to punish or over-regulate. We will, however, enforce compliance where necessary. Let’s not forget that there is better compliance at all levels these days.”
Recall that few months ago, NCAA issued a formal letter of sanction to Kenya Airways following multiple violations of consumer protection regulations.
The NCAA had said “The penalties are for consumer protection-related infractions including right to care, failure to provide full disclosure of terms of carriage, failure to respond to the Authority’s request, failure to process refund and compensation, and lost baggage.”
While NCAA did not disclose the other airlines sanctioned, sources within the Authority said they included Ethiopian Airways, Royal Maroc Airlines, Arik Air, Aero Contractors and Air Peace.
While speaking on other incidents such as bird strikes and runway excursion affecting the aviation industry, Achimugu said “Although the provision of bird strike equipment does not eliminate the occurrence, the federal government has to ensure that the equipment is available to limit it the barest minimum, the cases of bird strikes.
“ Thankfully, the managing director of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), is proactively ensuring that there is a holistic improvement in the purchase and application of necessary equipment.”
He also said, “runway excursions happen globally. Of the biggest, most advanced countries, Nigeria has some of the fewest occurrences of air incidents. Our airports are in good condition.”
Meanwhile, Nigeria carrier, Air Peace, has said it will cancel and delay more flights due to safety concerns if the need arises. The airline said such decisions are not taken for the fun of it.
In line with safety priority, the airline also said its business priority is not profit but safety, and insisted that it has more aircraft than the authority schedules daily.
In a statement by the management of Air Peace, in reply to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority’s warnings that the airline should cut down operations in accordance with its available aircraft, the airport stated that “At Air Peace, safety is and will always remain our cardinal priority. These delays and cancellations are dictated by safety considerations.
“We fully empathise with our esteemed passengers who experience discomfort, inconvenience, or disrupted plans due to flight delays or cancellations.
“If weather conditions, technical parameters, or operational standards fall short of what is safe, we will not operate that flight.”
An aviation analyst and director of research at Zenith Travels, Olumide Ohunayo, opined that the data on flight cancellations and delays by the NCAA have been able to expose the level of flight disruptions in the country.
Ohunayo, who is also the general secretary of Aviation Roundtable and Safety Initiative, said the weekly report would enable the airlines to sit up.
He advised Air Peace to see how it can address the rising complaints on its operations, saying the delays and cancellations cannot be blamed on safety alone.
According to him, “There is nothing wrong with the statement of the NCAA. That statement was borne out of complaints of consumers, customers and other stakeholders in the industry who had that user’s experience.
“But rather than that swift defence on safety, I thought Air Peace would have taken a more diplomatic response and begun to work on those systemic challenges which have made cancellations and delays obvious and now seem like a mantra, that even those defending it are no more defending.”
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