June 8, 2026
By Dickson Omobola
The International Air Transport Association, IATA, has lamented the high operating costs faced by Nigerian airlines, saying aside from Afghanistan, Nigeria remained one of the most difficult places to establish and sustain an airline business.
Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East at the International Air Transport Association, IATA, Kamil Al-Awadhi, who disclosed this weekend, said while Afghanistan was difficult because of its security and political situation, the costs associated with airline operations in Nigeria were enormous.
He also decried the slow implementation of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, directive on a 25 per cent reduction in regional air transport charges to lower air fares across the sub-region.
