Key highlights
- Several airlines experienced delays and cancellations of flights due to a crisis between the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and oil marketers over apron passes, particularly at airports in Lagos and Abuja.
- The disagreement over fees for apron passes led to oil marketers being denied entry into the airport, causing delays and cancellations of flights, which may affect travellers, especially those travelling for the Easter holidays.
- FAAN defended the new fees, emphasizing that due notice was given to all concessionaires and that the agency relies solely on internally generated revenues to fund its projects and improve services for clients.
Some airlines delayed and cancelled their scheduled flights today due to the crisis between the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and oil marketers over apron passes.
The flight delays and cancellations were more noticeable at airports in Abuja and Lagos. Nairametrics gathered that flights could take off as planned, as FAAN insisted on full compliance with the new regime.
It should be noted that most flights emanate and terminate at Lagos and Abuja airports.
Travellers could be affected
The flight disruptions may also affect some of the passengers, especially from the south who intended to travel to their different cities to celebrate the Easter holidays.
A particular airline, which arrived in Lagos on Thursday morning from Akure with a 70 per cent load factor, said its flight plans were disrupted following the crisis between the two. The airline claimed that it already had a 100 per cent load factor back to Akure airport but could not do so.
Also, some of the airlines, which hitherto planned to depart Abuja to other destinations, could not do so as the oil marketers were denied entry into the apron side of the airport due to their failures to pay the new rate of N200,000 introduced by FAAN from the initial N150,000 per annum.
- “Lagos to Akure with a 100 per cent load factor of 4p.m is now cancelled as we cannot meet up with a sunset, even if we depart with our normal schedule now.
- “Akure to Lagos was 70 per cent full. Passengers’ Easter plans were destroyed because of FAAN and fuel marketers’ stand-off,” the airline source said.
Focus on the problem
While the affected oil marketers alleged that FAAN did not give them enough time on the new fee for the apron passes, the agency insisted due notices were issued to all its concessionaires.
Speaking on the issue in an interview with our correspondent, the Acting General Manager, Corporate Communications, at FAAN, Mrs Faithful Hope-Ivbase, said FAAN had already informed its entire concessionaires on the new regime.
She emphasised that some of the concessionaires with activities at the airside of the airports had already complied with the new fee, while only a few were yet to do so as of Thursday morning.
She explained that the agency as a government organisation doesn’t get subventions from the government and relies solely on its Internally Generated Revenues (IGRs) to fund its projects and replace archaic facilities.
She also emphasised that FAAN’s compulsory contribution to the federation account was increased from 25 per cent to 40 per cent like any other revenue-generating agency in the country, assuring that the agency would continue to improve its services to its clients. She said:
- “As you are aware, the aviation industry is a very highly regulated industry and we are also an IGR agency. The government doesn’t give us any subvention for facility upgrades. Whatever we generate is what we use for our facilities. When facilities break down, we see people the way they castigate FAAN as if we are not doing anything. There are a lot of things that we are doing that an average passenger would not see.
- “So, when marketers like this refuse to pay, you don’t just fold your arms. The increment is not from N150,000 to N500,000 as claimed, but increased to N200,000. FAAN is not a jungle agency that will just increase prices without informing our concessionaires. We are a civilized organisation.
- “The apron passes have a timeline as I told you earlier. For those who renewed theirs, we didn’t have any issues with them. We are not a Father Christmas agency. We are a very large organisation and we have a lot that we need money for.”