The Airline Operators of Nigeria has raised concerns over the growing number of Air Operator Certificates being issued to new airlines, warning that existing aviation infrastructure may struggle to support the expected increase in aircraft and flight operations.
AON spokesperson, Prof Obiora Okonkwo, said the industry welcomed new entrants and increased competition, but stressed that the rapid expansion must be matched by adequate airport and airspace infrastructure.
Okonkwo, who is also the Executive Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, made the remarks at the 30th Annual Conference of the League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents in Lagos.
The conference, themed “Towards Sustainable Aviation Industry: Balancing Government Revenue Demands with Sector Growth,” brought together stakeholders to discuss the challenges facing Nigeria’s aviation sector.
An Air Operator Certificate is the approval issued by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority to operators seeking to conduct commercial flight operations.
Under Part 9 of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations, applicants must pass through five stages before certification: pre-application, formal application, document evaluation, demonstration and inspection, and final certification.
Several airlines have received AOCs in recent months, including Binani Air Global Services, Enugu Air, MCM Jets Limited, 3 Horizons Limited, K-Impex, Pioneer Airlines and Rocket Aviation Services.
Okonkwo said more operators were expected to receive their certificates before the end of the year, potentially placing additional strain on airport facilities and other aviation infrastructure.
He said the industry must begin planning for the anticipated increase before the system becomes overwhelmed.
“More AOCs are being given and there will be many more, maybe before the end of the year about five to six will still be out,” he said.
“The more the merrier, it is not a problem. But where are the infrastructures to accommodate aircraft that will be flying?”
Okonkwo recalled that it took him two to three years to obtain an AOC, questioning the speed at which some new certificates were now being issued.
He warned that if the newly certified operators acquire aircraft quickly, existing airport facilities could face serious capacity constraints.
The AON spokesperson stressed that his concerns were not driven by opposition to competition.
“I am not being jealous of competition because the more competitive we are, the healthier we become,” he said, urging aviation authorities and industry stakeholders to begin discussions on how to accommodate the projected growth.
His concerns were echoed by George Uriesi, the acting Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Akwa Ibom State-owned Ibom Air.
Uriesi agreed that infrastructure was already under significant pressure and warned that the situation could worsen as existing airlines expand and more operators enter the market.
“At the moment, infrastructure is choked already,” he said.
He noted that the expected growth of established airlines, combined with the emergence of new operators, could expose serious capacity limitations across the aviation system.
Uriesi said authorities needed to begin planning ahead of the anticipated increase in traffic rather than waiting until airports became severely congested.
He warned that failure to act could eventually force authorities to restrict operations during peak periods at major airports and introduce tightly controlled slot allocation systems.
According to him, Nigeria may not yet have traffic levels that ordinarily require strict slot management, but infrastructure limitations could make such measures necessary if expansion continues without corresponding investment.
The two aviation executives called for early engagement among regulators, airport managers, airlines and other stakeholders to ensure that the industry’s growth does not outpace the infrastructure required to sustain it.
