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Passengers across Nigeria stranded as airlines cut domestic flights

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The ongoing shortage of aircraft in Nigeria’s domestic airline industry has worsened, leaving passengers across the country stranded and unable to secure flights to their destinations. Findings reveal that the high-demand Lagos-Abuja and Abuja-Lagos routes were particularly affected, with flights fully booked or unavailable by Tuesday afternoon.

Several airlines, including Max Air and Air Peace, showed no available seats on multiple scheduled flights. In some cases, flights that appeared booked out were later discovered to have been canceled or did not operate at all. An industry source attributed this to severe capacity constraints, noting that many airlines have scaled back operations to avoid service disruptions.

Aviation analysts warn that the situation may worsen as the busy December travel season approaches. “Airlines are cutting down on flights to manage capacity, but this could lead to a spike in airfares,” said industry expert Mr. Olumide Ohunayo. He also highlighted how new consumer protection software has made airlines more cautious about posting flight schedules they cannot meet.

To resolve the crisis, stakeholders are calling for increased competition and a more flexible licensing regime to allow smaller operators into the market. Experts believe this could alleviate the capacity issue and provide passengers with more reliable travel options during peak seasons.