Air Peace Chairman Allen Onyema has sounded the alarm over the survival of Nigeria’s domestic aviation industry, warning that several airlines could collapse within 30 days without urgent government intervention.
Speaking on the sidelines of the launch of Pathways, Pilgrimage and Destiny, the biography of Med-View Airline Chairman Muneer Bankole, Onyema said the sector is under severe pressure. He described aviation as a capital-intensive industry that offers limited rewards and is now confronting what he called an existential crisis.
At the centre of the current dispute is the five per cent Ticket and Cargo Sales Charge (TSC). Onyema stressed that airlines are not refusing to pay the statutory levy. Instead, he said the existing collection system places an unnecessary burden on operators and has become a source of recurring conflict.
He called for constructive talks between government agencies and airline operators to design a more practical revenue model. One proposal he floated is a fixed unit charge that would remove arguments over which components of an airfare should attract the levy.
Onyema also criticised threats by labour unions to picket airlines over the TSC issue, describing the approach as unprecedented and an attempt to intimidate operators. He maintained that airlines have continued to engage the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and the Federal Ministry of Aviation, and insisted the industry has no quarrel with the unions.
“If they picket any airline, others will go because there’s no need for that. There is nowhere in the world that government agencies use unions to talk about issues of debt,” he said.
The Air Peace chairman pointed to a long list of challenges facing Nigerian carriers: high borrowing costs, inadequate infrastructure, bird strikes, and multiple operating charges. He noted that more than 50 indigenous airlines have failed over the years even when their owners succeeded in other businesses.
Onyema expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu remains supportive of local carriers and would not allow the industry to collapse. He urged the Federal Government to intervene quickly and adopt policies that strengthen, rather than weaken, domestic airlines so the sector can remain sustainable.
The warning adds to growing concerns about the health of Nigeria’s aviation industry at a time when operators continue to struggle with rising costs and regulatory pressures.
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