International airlines that operate into Nigeria pay about N25bn annually for the towing of their aircraft, as the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria has not been able to import the already procured aero bridges.
In developed nations, aero bridges align with the aircraft doors, making immediate embarkation easy and swift. But in Nigeria, airlines pay humongous amounts to ground handling companies to tow their aircraft to aero bridges at the airport before passengers can disembark.
Aside from the money paid, this process also delays passengers for about 20 minutes to disembark from the aircraft after landing.
An aero bridge is a telescoping corridor that extends from an airport terminal to an aircraft. It allows for secure boarding and disembarkation of passengers. It is also called a jetway or air bridge.
It was gathered that 28 aero bridges were procured since 2014 but have not been brought into Nigeria from China, where they were said to have been purchased.
The PUNCH also gathered that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria records an average of 21 take-off flights and 12 landings daily at the 18R/36L runway of the Murtala Muhammed Airport. This means there are about 630 takeoffs and 360 landings monthly at the facility.
Figures sourced from FAAN indicated that about 990 aircraft land and take off from the international wing of the Lagos airport runway monthly, while 11,880 aircraft are also recorded as lying in and out of the aerodrome annually.
Industry operators explained that ground handlers at the airport charge $1,350 to tow a big aircraft, while they charge $673 to tow a small aircraft.
Multiplying $1,350 by the 11,880 aircraft movements puts the total amount spent by international airlines alone on towing their aircraft at $16,038,000.
With an exchange rate of N1,534 to a dollar, calculations by our correspondent showed that at least international airlines pay over N24,602,292,000 to ground handlers for towing their aircraft to the aero bridge annually.
Reacting to this, a former Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency and Chief Executive Officer of TopBrass Aviation, Roland Iyayi, described the development as a possible connivance by the ground handling companies to make more money.
He said the refusal of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria to provide the automated machines has forced the airline operators to cough out huge amounts.
“For me, I see what is happening as a sort of connivance by some people to make money for the ground handling companies. Just like the case of the generating set companies/sellers and NEPA, because when NEPA refuses to supply power, generator companies will sell more.
“Now that the authorities have refused to provide the automated machine, the ground handling companies have a job to do, one that shouldn’t have surfaced at all,” he stated.
He, however, appealed to FAAN to do what was best to ease the burden on operators.
Also, retired Capt. Mohammed Badamosi enjoined FAAN to expedite action on the installation of the automated machines.
“If not for anything but for the fact that operators are now made to pay more, the authority should do the needful. If these machines have truly been procured, they should tell us why they are yet to be installed,” he said.
The Director of Airport Operations at FAAN, Abdullahi Mahmood, and the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection of the authority, Obiageli Orah, refused to respond to enquiries on the matter when contacted.
