THE Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has said domestic airlines operating in the country recorded 8,478 cases of delayed flights in first quarter of 2016.
This was contained in a document issued by the NCAA’s Consumer Protection Department, which was obtained on Monday by the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos.
The document said a total number of 15,434 flights were operated by eight domestic airlines during the period under review, while 281 flights were cancelled.
It said the airlines in operation were Aero Contractors, Arik Air, Air Peace, Azman Air, Dana Air, First Nation, Med-View and Overland.
Arik, which operated 4,926 flights, topped the chart of delayed and cancelled flights with 2,801 and 99 respectively.
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This was followed by Aero Contractors, which recorded 1,762 delayed flights and 94 cancellations, out of its 2,823 flight operations.
Air Peace operated 2,686 flights with 1,175 incidences of delayed flights and four cancellations.
However, Arik Air, in a statement by its Communications Manager, Ola Adebanji, attributed the delays and cancellations to the lingering scarcity of aviation fuel.
Adebanji said: “With over a hundred flights daily, this limited supply of aviation fuel has resulted, regrettably, into flight delays and sometimes outright cancellations.
“We appeal to our valued passengers to bear with us at this time, even as we remain committed to providing safe and comfortable flight experience.”
Arik also apologised to the airline’s passengers for the inconvenience they might have suffered due to the fuel shortage.