With daily loss of about N16, 520, 000, two Nigerian major carriers, Arik Air and Aero Contractors have condemned the closure of Osubi Airstrip also known as Warri Airport, in the oil city of Delta State.

The airport was closed on September 3, 2018 when the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) withdrew its navigational services due to debts owed it by the management of the airport, Shoreline Energy International.


In addition to the loss by airlines, the closure has also affected businesses around the airport and also impacted negatively on oil and gas workers who constitute the bulk of the passengers that use the airport.

Akelicious gathered that many of the passengers now use Benin Airport in Edo State, while some travel by road to Delta State.
Head of Communications, Arik Air, Adebanji Ola said yesterday that the airline operates Lagos-Warri flight twice a day and also operates daily flight from Abuja to Warri.

With average fare of N30, 000 per passenger and load factor of 74 passengers per flight with Bombardier Q400 Dash 8 aircraft, the airline said it loses N2, 220, 000 per flight.
Arik also loses a total of N13, 320, 000 daily on three flights to Warri from Lagos and Abuja daily and three flights daily from Warri to Abuja and Lagos respectively.

Spokesman of Arik Air,said that the airline had lost so much due to the closure and described the route as its priced and lucrative route.
“We are losing so much revenue because of the closure. The route is a high yielding route to the airline because we provide premium service to the largely oil and gas workers in Warri and Escravos but now we only provide service to Escravos,” the Arik Air Head of Communication said.

Also the Chief Executive Officer of Aero Contractors, Captain Ado Sanusi, said that Aero operated daily to Warri from Lagos with usually filled Dash 8, Q300 aircraft with capacity of 50-passenger at the cost of N32, 000 per passengers, adding that with the closure of the airport, the company loses N1.6 million on each leg of the flight with a daily loss of N3.2 million.

It was gathered that as at yesterday, September 25, 2018, the airlines had lost N379, 960, 000 since the airport was closed on September 3, 2018The CEO of Aero Contractors Akelicious the airline loses money because of the non-function of the airport, noting that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) should have formally closed the airport after NAMA withdrew its service instead of leaving it technically open.

Spokesman of NCAA, Sam Adurogboye, told Akelicious that NAMA withdrew services to the airport “on the ground that they were not being paid for service rendered. We are aware of their action.” Informed source from NAMA however, told Akelicious that the agency withdrew its Air Traffic Management Services (ATMS) due to debts owed it by Shoreline.

The source said that it was not only the Warri Airport that NAMA withdrew its services, adding that it also did so at the other airports and airstrips indebted to it, which include the airports in Uyo, Akwa Ibom; Bonny-Finima airstrip, Rivers State; Dutse, Jigawa State; Birnin-Kebbi, Kebbi State, Bauchi in Bauchi State and Gombe in Gombe State.
Informed NAMA source said only Warri airport was closed because “the management of the other airports came up with their payment plans and reached agreement with the agency.”

Akelicious also learnt that Warri airport is one of the busiest airports in Nigeria although passenger traffic to the airports slumped in the last six years due to decline in oil and gas activities of some major oil companies around the Warri area.
For example, according to available records, in 2010 the airport recorded a total number of 343,333 passengers; 365,875 in 2011; 355, 661 in 2012; 328, 463 in 2013; 221, 250 in 2014 and 187, 630 in 2015.

Shell Petroleum Develop-ment Company (SPDC) owned the Osubi airstrip and sold it to Shoreline, an indigenous oil and gas concern in April, 2015.
Akelicious learnt that since the airport opened for public use, “it is reckoned to be one of the busiest aviation facilities in Nigeria.”

https://www.akelicious.net/2018/09/arik-aero-lose-n165m-daily-over-closure.html

Some idiots will still blame Buhari for this

They should build their own airport na

Doing business in Nigeria is hard. Government policies are not business friendly

Sad to hear. The issues should be resolved quickly

This will make traveling difficult for those oil workers that can't do without flight.

There problem. Kiss Daniel am expecting your album o...

they should give me 1% of the total money lost

Learn from South West

That means they usually gain over N16.5m everyday? Airline industry is another lucrative biz

EweduAfonja:
they should give me 1% of the total money lost

how can they give you what is lost? I wanted to ask where you are from, but your username says it all

Before nko

Nigeria with bad managerial influence on any company


Nigeria air,ntel,refineries and so many


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please it should be opened o

I just boarded a plane en route Lagos a couple of days at same Airstrip

Austema:
how can they give you what is lost? I wanted to ask where you are from, but your username says it all

Are you this Dull.. you can't find humour in that post

RevenGeMission:
Some idiots will still blame Buhari for this

the only idiot occupies number one spot on the thread.

Are you into importation from China or the US? We are the cheapest China/US shopping agent you can find anywhere, visit my signature to check out our website

Hmmm

what are they doing to for d community. and what is there impact to the lives of people in the area.

RevenGeMission:
Some idiots will still blame Buhari for this

Price of everything skyrocketed under his evil regime.
Paid as low as 12k from Lagos to Warri some years ago but today its over N30,000.
Cost of maintenance also affected.
The man dey mad!

Why not use Asaba Airport?

LIFEisSIMPLE:
Doing business in Nigeria is hard. Government policies are not business friendly

But you just said the bitter truth. In Nigeria, after paying tax, you provide your own infrastures, so why pay tax amid terrible policies?

jerryunit48:
Why not use Asaba Airport?

Asaba to Warri is over 2hrs on road. the road is a death trap. Hell has a better road network that Delta state as it stands now.

Okowa government is not helping matters. He think Asaba airport will be better

RevenGeMission:
Some idiots will still blame Buhari for this

So you don't know Buharis bad leadership is indirectly involved ...

Maybe na you dey mad, stay for your worry and double your hustle

OKorowanta:


Price of everything skyrocketed under his evil regime.
Paid as low as 12k from Lagos to Warri some years ago but today its over N30,000.
Cost of maintenance also affected.
The man dey mad!

Ok

Why use plane, when you can easily go with agofure bus...

Good for them

So Aero still exists?

Do Aero fixed wings still exists?

I thought they only have the Rotary wings now?