Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has credited President Bola Tinubu’s administration with encouraging the expansion of local airlines, saying government support has attracted more operators into the commercial aviation business and helped reduce domestic airfares.
Keyamo spoke on Thursday during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he said the administration had made the survival and development of Nigerian airlines a priority.
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The minister’s remarks followed public complaints about the high cost of domestic flights. Many passengers have blamed expensive aviation fuel for rising ticket prices, but Keyamo said stronger competition among airlines is now bringing fares down, while government support is helping more local operators establish sustainable businesses.
Tinubu’s policy backs airline expansion
Keyamo said Nigeria is witnessing an increase in the number of airlines entering the commercial aviation market, a development he linked to the Tinubu administration’s policy on supporting indigenous carriers.
He said the current level of investment in the airline business had not been seen under the previous administration.
He pointed to Enugu Air as one of the new operators and disclosed that Caliphate Airlines was preparing to begin commercial flights from Sokoto.
The minister said many of the new airlines were built on stronger business models than those adopted by several domestic carriers in the past, making them better placed to survive.
“It’s only President Bola Tinubu’s government that has made it a point, a one point agenda, to support the sustenance of local airlines. The growth and sustenance of local airlines,” Keyamo said.
He also maintained that stronger competition among airlines was already benefiting passengers.
Using Christmas fares as an example, he said ticket prices that reached between N400,000 and N500,000 during the festive season had dropped to a little above N100,000 on some routes.
“We are forcing it down by competition. We have opened the doors,” he said.
Fuel pricing outside aviation ministry’s control
Keyamo said the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development does not have the legal authority to regulate the price of Jet A1 because it is a petroleum product under the supervision of the petroleum ministry.
He explained that although aviation fuel directly affects airline operations, responsibility for fixing its price does not rest with his ministry.
He noted that he had held meetings with fuel marketers in an effort to address the issue but could not determine the product’s market price.
The minister said the recent increase in Jet A1 prices was influenced partly by the conflict involving Iran. He noted that the price had started falling after that rise.
Keyamo also commented on the recent Enugu Air incident at Benin Airport. He said investigations were still in progress and warned against drawing conclusions before the process was completed. He maintained that the occurrence was an isolated incident caused by a slippery runway.
The Embraer E170 aircraft, which arrived from Lagos, overshot and veered off the runway. All passengers and crew members were evacuated safely without injuries.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria later closed the runway temporarily for safety inspections, while some domestic airlines suspended flights into and out of Benin City until operations resumed.
On the recent private jet incident in Asaba, the minister confirmed that it involved a security breach. He said the pilot and crew members of the American registered aircraft were in the custody of the Department of State Services for questioning.
Keyamo also disclosed that the Federal Government was considering the concession of more airports that are not financially viable to improve their efficiency and day to day operations.
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