$1.5bn air tickets sold in Nigeria annually- report

A total of $1.5 billion is realized from ticket sales in Nigeria annually, a report sourced from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) at the weekend indicates.

The report says the tickets were sold by the 21 international airlines operating into Nigeria, including five Nigerian airlines on international routes and other 20 domestic airlines.

The traffic figures which culminated in the ticket sales show that domestic airlines airlift 3. 5 million passengers annually while their international counterparts contribute 4.0 million passengers’ tickets to the revenue with additional 122, 700 tons of cargo being airlifted annually.

The report is however of the opinion that out of 140 million population in Nigeria, only a little percentage travel by air, adding that though the economy is not buoyant, there is need to make air travel more accessible to the average Nigerian.

Average yearly traffic growth shows that domestic passenger grows by 17 percent; international passenger grows by 21 percent while aircraft movement grows by 1 percent.

Speaking recently at the 2011 transport sector human resource forum, Harold Demuren, director general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, said it is noteworthy that air transport generates vital benefits for any economy, including Nigeria, by providing critical connections to both local and overseas markets and facilitating the growth of trade, tourism and investment. He said with it, jobs are created while Gross Domestic Products and tax revenues are boosted.

Source:  http://www.businessdayonline.com