Building unfeasible airport is a waste of resources
Airports constitute necessary infrastructure for a wide range of economic activities. This wider economic role is known as the catalytic impact, arising from the effect that air service accessibility can have on the region served by the airport. Access to markets and external and international transport links are regarded as “absolutely essential” to businesses making location decisions. The catalytic effect of an airport operates primarily through enhancing business efficiency and productivity by providing easy access to suppliers and customers, particularly over medium to long distances. Global accessibility is a key factor for business location and success in all regions of the world. In fact air transport for passengers and freight is an essential component of the modern global economy. The social benefits also contribute to the quality of life.
The importance of airports and air transportation cannot be overemphasized; but state governments should not embark on building new airports when they are not economically feasible. A recent report by the National Bureau of Statics (NBS) revealed that about seven international airports in Nigeria have recorded no passengers at all in the first quarter of 2014 while Lagos and Abuja airports recorded highest.
According to the report, the airports with zero patronage include International airports in Calabar, Ilorin, Kaduna, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Minna and Katsina. A total of 3,416,977 passengers travelled using Nigerian airports in the first quarter of 2014. Out of this number, 2,352,224 or 68.84 per cent of them travelled locally, whereas 1,064,753 or 31.16 per cent travelled overseas. Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos, was rated the busiest airport in the country with 1,683,375 passengers or 49.27 per cent followed by Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, with 907,989 passengers, or 26.57 per cent.
According to the NBS report, this was very similar to the share of 68.81 per cent observed for domestic passenger traffic on average in 2013. For domestic flights, Murtala Muhammed Airport had 898,896 passengers or 38.21 per cent of the total and Abuja had 701,249 passengers or 29.81 per cent of the total. Port Harcourt had a significant number of 274,186 passengers or 11.66 per cent of all passenger traffic, while Owerri Airport in Imo State had 75,356 passengers or 3.20 per cent of the total.
International passenger traffic is even more dominated by Lagos, with 784,479 passengers or 73.68 per cent of all overseas bound passengers passing through this airport. Abuja still ranks second, although with a lesser number of 205,740 passengers or 19.42 per cent of the total. Only Kano and Port Harcourt international airports had portions of the total of over 1 per cent, with 37,261 passengers or 3.50 per cent of the total flying through Kano and Port Harcourt.
There are several socio-economic issues that require funding by the state governments to up lift the masses from poverty in their respective states. It is not about the number of airports that we have in Nigeria. We are better off with a few airports that are viable and safe than airports scattered all over the place without being fully utilized. At the inauguration of Dutse International Airport in Jigawa, recently, President Goodluck Jonathan promised that the federal government will give some reasonable financial support to the state government on the project. Resources should be channelled to ensuring the safety of Nigeria’s airspace for the smooth operation of the air transport industry and adequately maintaining viable airports, and expanding them