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.
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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 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.Related News
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.
