Lagos airport operators beg investors to save Nigeria’s air cargo industry

Investors should collaborate and consider investing in a freighter – cargo aircraft – to save Nigeria’s domestic air cargo business, Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Ltd., operators of the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal II (MMA2), have appealed. Speaking with journalists in Lagos on Sunday, Remi Jibodu, Bi-Courtney’s head of aeronautics and cargo services, said dependence on the belly of passenger aircraft for cargo transport was retarding the growth of domestic air cargo business. According to Mr Jibodu, a viable air cargo transport system would require dedicated cargo aircraft – freighters, which are capital intensive. He urged collaboration among investors to boost the air cargo transport business, which he described as an untapped section of the aviation industry.

“Investors can align with passenger airlines that already have Air Operator Certificates (AOCs), considering the challenge of regulation and the need to have freighters registered and certified. You do not have to set up an airline; you can put your aircraft under the AOC of an existing airline because most airlines already have certification for passenger and cargo,” he said. On cargo tonnage at MMA2 daily, Mr Jibodu said about 50 metric tonnes were transported daily via passenger aircraft belly. “Belly cargo is subject to availability, so it is either we increase the number of aircraft that carry passengers to increase the number of belly cargo, or we encourage people about freighters. A way to encourage them is to let them know the right equipment to use because the market is there. To use a jet aircraft at this point in time is an issue but propeller aircraft with a higher tonnage will help out. That is what we advise would-be investors.

“What we can guarantee from the data we have is that there is a huge market,” Mr Jibodu said. He said Bi-Courtney would continue collaborating with other stakeholders to ensure an enabling environment for a robust air cargo transport industry. Mr Jibodu noted that at a recent Avia Cargo Conference, stakeholders acknowledged the need for improved capacity for domestic air cargo business. NAN