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Legit.ng journalist Victor Enengedi has over a decade's experience covering Energy, MSMEs, Technology and the Stock Market.
In the past 24 years, at least 20 commercial airlines have ceased operations in Nigeria’s aviation industry.
Airlines like HAK Air, which acquired five Boeing 737 aircraft, shut down without conducting any flights after receiving their Airline Operator Certificate (AOC) from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
Source: UGC
Some managed to operate for about a year. Various factors contributed to the collapse of these airlines, including government policy changes, lack of funds, and accidents, with some shutting down immediately after incidents or a few years later.
Airlines that have disappeared in this period include Nigeria Airways, Albarka Air, Azman Air, Discovery Air, Air Midwest, Okada Air, EAS Airlines, NICON Airways, Med-View Airline, Space World Airlines, First Nation, Hak Air, Slok Air, IRS Airlines, Air Nigeria, Nigerian Eagle, ADC Airlines, Associated Aviation, Chanchangi Airlines, Sosoliso Airlines, Bellview Airlines, and Virgin Nigeria.
Nigeria Airways, the former national carrier, operated from 1958 to 2003 before being shut down by President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2003.
Obasanjo was reportedly dissatisfied with the airline’s condition upon his return to office, stating that when he left the presidency in 1979, the airline had 29 functional aircraft, but two decades later, it was down to just two barely operational planes.
The airline’s closure sparked widespread criticism, particularly because its staff did not receive their terminal benefits until 2009 when President Umaru Yar’Adua paid five years' worth of severance packages with a promise to settle the remaining amount later.
However, it wasn't until December 2018, under President Muhammadu Buhari and then-Aviation Minister Sen. Hadi Sirika, that another 50% of the outstanding severance was paid.
Source: Legit.ng
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