Both the construction and upkeep of airports need large sums of money. Even if they are not making money, permanent technical and administrative staff are necessary for an airport to function. However, it seems that building an airport in their state is the top priority for nearly all governors. Given that the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) reports that only three airports handle over 90% of all passenger travel throughout the nation, we are unable to comprehend the governors’ fixation.
According to market forecasts, Nigeria’s low per capita income will prevent a sharp increase in air travel. However, Olubunmi Kuku, Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), recently stated that 19 of the 22 federal airports were receiving subsidies because their passenger traffic did not match their operating expenses. Kuku added, “We also have about six or seven airports that are either owned by state governments or private individuals or entities, which we support with either aviation security or fire and rescue services.”
Due to financial backing from the governments of Akwa Ibom and Delta States, only the airports in Uyo and Asaba can currently be considered viable out of all the state-built airports. For example, Kebbi State constructed an airport with cutting-edge amenities a few years ago. With the exception of charter services, it seldom has any scheduled regular flights anymore. The airport was turned over to FAAN to manage at a significant deficit to the aviation organization since it was unable to break even. This is also the case with other state-owned airports that the agency has taken over in Bauchi and Gombe.
Therefore, aside from political considerations, we do not comprehend the justification for constructing additional airports for the states. Regretfully, the states are merely imitating the federal government’s poor example. We questioned the reasoning behind the federal government’s 2020 approval for states to construct airports in Anambra, Benue, Ekiti, Nasarawa, and Ebonyi States while taking over those constructed by Kebbi, Osubi, Dutse, and Gombe States. Just six of the 26 airports under FAAN’s management have more than 5,000 aircraft movements annually. These six are essential to the survival of the others. The question we raised at the time is still unanswered: Why must the government burden the nation with additional cost centers during a time of scarce resources when it is borrowing to fulfill obligations?
Because some of these airports have created a cluster, the claim that states cannot develop without an airport is untenable. In order to reach his goal more quickly than by arriving at Uyo Airport, an investor heading to a specific area of Akwa-Ibom might need to land at Calabar Airport. Anambra Airport in Umueri is farther away from a businessman in Onitsha than Asaba Airport. Indeed, there are rumors that an aircraft might be guided to land at Umueri airport in Anambra by the air traffic controller at Asaba airport.
Large sums of money that could have been used to provide other necessary infrastructure and other amenities are instead spent on unprofitable endeavors as a result of the construction of unfeasible airports. Because scheduled services cannot break even for commercial airlines due to limited passenger flow, the majority of these airports only benefit the governors who use charter services. Taking everything into account, it is absurd that states are investing enormous sums of money to construct new airports.
