One of the biggest problems for African carriers is attributed to inappropriate aircraft use or the acquisition of aircraft that are not efficient for the type of operations undertaken. The Nigerian aviation industry and indeed Africa’s aviation industry is replete with aircraft that are fuel guzzlers, expensive to maintain and leading to the grounding of many within a few years of acquisition.
There is a common saying that “If you don’t have the right product you need very deep pockets”. To bring the situation home, General Manager (Africa) of Brazilian planemaker, Embraer, Hussain Dabbas on Wednesday in Lagos, Nigeria at the Aviation Leadership CEOs Forum/ Aviators Africa Tower Awards, with the theme, “ Corporate Governance Structure: A pathway to sustainability in African Aviation”, explained African airlines need to start thinking more about the size of the aircraft they are using if they are to drive profits.
Possible solution
Dabbas explained that one of the major issues, and a possible solution, is the use of right-sized aircraft. It is very difficult to drive seat costs down but if you have the right-sized aircraft you can do better with good load factors.
One of the biggest problems for African carriers is attributed to inappropriate aircraft use or the acquisition of aircraft that are not efficient for the type of operations undertaken. The Nigerian aviation industry and indeed Africa’s aviation industry is replete with aircraft that are fuel guzzlers, expensive to maintain, and leading to the grounding of many within a few years of acquisition.
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