In the eight years since 2015, the total number of aircraft registered in Nigeria increased from 175 to 358.
In addition, there are now 40 airports in the nation, up from just 27 throughout that time.
Capt revealed them. Musa Nuhu, Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), during a presentation he gave at the current Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) National Aviation Conference (FNAC), which had the theme “Sustainability of the Aviation Sector In Nigeria.”
Notwithstanding the industry’s difficulties, particularly the recent outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic, Nuhu said during a presentation from a paper from the regulator’s perspective that aviation in Nigeria has been on a growth trajectory.
He claims that there were only 34 Air Transport Licences (ATL) when the previous administration took office in 2015, but there are now 73.
Moreover, Nuhu noted that commercial certificates had previously only totalled 196 but have already risen to 320.
In addition, he noted that the number of Air Operator Certificates (AOCs) issued to airlines at that time had increased by 100%, from only 16 to 32 at the moment.
He added that in 2015 there were only 27 airports in the country, but that by 2023 there will be 40 aerodromes.
Nuhu continued by highlighting the fact that the number of airstrips in the nation has increased from 77 to 92, or by 15, over the previous eight years.
He also revealed that there are now 370 heliports nationally, up from 221 in 2015.
Nuhu asserts that aviation has continued to play a vital part in the socioeconomic development of Nigeria and that recent data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed that the industry had been the second-fastest expanding in the country’s economy before COVID was created.
The difficulties facing the Nigerian aviation industry
However, he noted that this industry in Nigeria was dealing with several issues that influenced sustainability and profitability, highlighting the fact that many of the issues fell outside the scope of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
He also cited some of the difficulties, such as the high cost of funding, debt profile, Jet A1 and forex scarcity, but he remarked that NCAA could provide an enabling environment through its regulatory framework for airlines and other operators to succeed. He stated as follows:
