Chinedu Eze
Aviation experts are of the view that Nigerian airlines are looking at rekindling the viable air travel market across West and Central Africa, projecting that it can generate $1 billion annually when fully developed.
For about 20 years, the West Coast was a very lucrative market for Nigerian carriers, but the emergence of Asky Airlines, the diminishing of Nigerians airlines before the current rebirth, ceded the large chunk of the market to other carriers outside Nigeria.
Studies carried out by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and African Airlines Association (AFRAA) indicated that there is on-going economic revamp that is going on in some countries in West and Central Africa and they need air travel to rev the economy.
The countries, the experts said, are picking up economically at a time there is bourgeoning growth of Nigerian carriers with the de-risking of the legal environment through the Cape Town Convention practice directions and the implementation of the Irrevocable de-registration and Export Request Authorisation (IDERA) framework that has now made it possible for Nigerian carrier to acquire aircraft on dry lease.
So, Nigerian airlines are geared towards rebuilding the regional market and have mainly Asky Airlines as major competitor.
Studies also indicated that there is increase in air transport demand in the two sub-regions.
According to Official Airline Guide (OAG) schedule data, Central and Western Africa posted some of the fastest year-on-year regional capacity growth rates globally, expanding by 15.7 per cent to 16.9 per cent
AFRAA places Central and Western Africa at 17.4 per cent of the continent’s total scheduled airline seat capacity distribution
Also, air travel demand across the broader African continent grew by 6.4 per cent year-on-year, outpacing the global average, with international capacity leading the expansion, as reported by the International Air Transport Association.
According to a study on traffic distribution, approximately 43 per cent of the region’s traffic is domestic (heavily anchored by Nigeria), while intra-African international routes account for 44 per cent.
Beyond the African continent, Europe remains the primary international destination for travellers from West and Central Africa, capturing nearly 39 per cent of external traffic from West and Central Africa
Intra-regional connectivity within West Africa stands at roughly 34 per cent when paired with North Africa, but drops to single digits (around three per cent to seven per cent) for direct connections to Southern and Central African zones.
Studies also indicate that Nigeria has the highest overall passenger and aviation throughput in the West and Central African region, anchored by major hubs like Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
In terms of traffic share, West Africa accounts for approximately 16 per cent of overall passenger traffic in Africa, while Central Africa holds about one per cent.
In the West and Central African region market, Nigeria processes the highest volume of air travelers and airline capacity in the sub-region, driven by heavy business and regional connectivity.
However, Central and Western Africa represent roughly 17.4 per cent to 18 per cent of total African air passenger and seat capacity, exhibiting strong regional growth despite persistent infrastructural and cost challenges.
Recently, Nigeria`s leading carrier, Air Peace increased its destinations in West and Central Africa to 13 and United Nigeria Airlines, ValueJet and Ibom Air have spruced their marketing strategy to highlight their regional operations.
However, in his presentation at the conference on: ‘Financing Connectivity, Unlocking Aviation and Tourism Growth in West and Central Africa’ in Lagos, the Chief Commercial Officer of United Nigeria Airlines, Adedayo Olawuyi, said what actually undermines the domestic and regional markets in Africa were the high taxes.
Olawuyi said domestic airlines required lower aviation charges because high charges increase the cost of tickets, and that tax reduction is a critical intervention needed to improve air travel affordability.
Olawuyi explained that ticket prices reflected deep structural problems in the aviation industry as airlines sell tickets in Naira, while their biggest expenses are in foreign currency. He said the mismatch was what forced airlines to absorb significant losses.
“How many of you would take a loan of 30 per cent to invest in a business that gives you less than five per cent profit? That is a pressing issue for airlines in Africa, specifically in Nigeria, the cost of financing.
“Consider the cost of training a pilot. Pilots today are in high demand and are not cheap to come by. We have airlines in this country with grounded aircraft because there are no pilots available,” Olawuyi said.
The airline executive also said the absence of maintenance and repair facilities has forced additional foreign currency expenditures.
“Consider maintenance: we have to send aircraft abroad because we do not have MROs in this region. We are also spending on simulator training for pilots, meaning we earn Naira but spend USD,” Olawuyi explained.
On the issue of fuel prices, he said it represented another significant burden that airlines pass to consumers. He said airlines went from buying fuel at N900 per litre in December 2025 to N3,000 per litre in 2026, adding that this illustrates the cost of operations which airlines have absorbed.
He emphasised that these expenses cannot be cut without compromising safety.
“All of that must be covered. Why? Because safety must be paramount. While we are discussing connectivity as a solution to the problems we see today, it is not just the airlines alone that can solve the problem. Government needs to create an enabling environment for us,” he added.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), last year, complained about the high charges in air travel in West Africa and moved to curb the outrageous taxes on air operations in member states.
ECOWAS later announced that it had taken bold steps to address the disturbing high airfares within the sub-region with an ambitious plan to implement a 25 per cent reduction in passenger service and security charges on air travel within the sub-region by January 2026.
So far, it is not certain yet that decision has been implemented, but despite that, the West Coast remains a promising market.
Studies indicated that passengers in the ECOWAS region are burdened with 66 different charges, while airlines face 112 distinct levies. These excessive costs significantly inflate airfares, hindering regional connectivity and economic integration. Based on the development, ECOWAS decided to step in to address the challenges.
Industry insiders suggest that the West Coast must remain a huge potential market for Nigerian carriers, but the domestic airlines must have to work together to stem external temptation and also to ensure they do not saturate the market with excessive seats for flight operations.
Also, experts posit that Central Africa is opening up and there are no strong carriers in the sub-region, so they have to rely more on European, East African and West African airlines.
However, THISDAY learnt that ECOWAS has formally adopted and mandated the 25 per cent reduction in passenger and security charges (along with the elimination of specific non-aviation ticket taxes), but full region-wide implementation by member states has stalled and remained inconsistent.
But if well streamlined, Nigerian airlines in few years will make the West Coast over $1 billion market.
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