Domestic Airlines Cancelled 29,775 Flights in 2015

According to an online flight-monitoring platform, the Aviation Passenger Service, APS, nine Nigerian domestic airlines cancelled 29,775 flights in 2015, as the shortage of aviation fuel, bad weather and other operational deficiencies weighed in on operations in 2015.

The grounded flights were out of a total 93,158 flights recorded between January 1 and December 31, 2015 across airports in the country.

Data compiled from the APS, one of the surviving projects initiated by former Aviation minister, Osita Chidoka, showed that while 43,999 flights were “delayed”, only 19,384 flights departed to their destinations “on time”.

The airlines’ flight performance monitor portal showed that Dana Air topped the overall flight performance chart for the year with 40.1 per cent ‘On Time’ performance with the least cancellations.

The airline was followed by First Nation with 39.1 per cent and Arik Air with 25.5 per cent. Discovery Air was rated the lowest performer with 0.1 per cent.

In 2015, the incidence of cancellations and delays were worsened by the strike by air traffic controllers which grounded all domestic flights at that time, leaving passengers stranded at terminals across the country.

Inclement weather had also at the beginning and end of 2015 ravished some parts of the country, causing massive flight delays, rescheduling and cancellations.