The shortage of aircraft in Nigeria’s domestic airline market has intensified, significantly reducing available flights and leaving many passengers stranded.
On Tuesday, travelers across the country faced difficulties securing flights to their destinations.
The busiest routes, Lagos-Abuja and Abuja-Lagos, were particularly affected, with many passengers unable to find seats as of 4 p.m.
A review of airline schedules revealed that no available seats were listed on any Lagos-Abuja flights by the major airlines.
For instance, all seats on a Max Air flight scheduled for 6 p.m. were fully booked, but it was later discovered that the flight did not operate.
Similarly, Air Peace flights at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. showed full bookings, and some flights did not operate, as reflected on the airline’s website.
An airline operator attributed the issue to severe capacity constraints. “There is a shortage of capacity, and many people are traveling,” the operator explained.
Another airline official, speaking anonymously, confirmed to Daily Trust that many airlines are reducing operations to avoid complications.
Most of the airlines are facing capacity issues, so they’ve cut down drastically,” they added.
Aviation analyst Olumide Ohunayo noted that many flights marked as fully booked were either canceled or never intended to operate.
This reflects the impact of new consumer protection software and an online reporting process, which has increased transparency,” he explained.
He added that airlines are being cautious about keeping schedules open for flights they know will not operate.
Ohunayo also warned that airfare prices could rise as the year-end holiday season approaches, due to ongoing capacity issues.
He called for increased competition in the industry, urging the civil aviation authority to introduce new licensing opportunities for smaller operators.
