Nigeria’s aviation industry is being weighed down by multiple taxes, fees and charges, while the country’s extensive airport infrastructure is failing to generate the economic value expected from it, according to Roland Iyayi, Managing Director/CEO of Topbrass Aviation and a member of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON)
Iyayi said the continued imposition of charges on airlines was becoming detrimental to the growth and sustainability of the industry, particularly at a time when operators were already grappling with sharply higher fuel and other operating costs
He spoke during a panel discussion at the 30th annual conference of the League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) themed, “Towards a Sustainable Aviation Industry: Balancing Government Revenue Demands with Sector Growth”
He noted that Nigeria has 31 airports and about 91 airstrips but added that many of these facilities were not contributing meaningfully to GDP because they lacked the infrastructure required to support regular commercial operations