Many times passengers on inbound flights to Lagos, Abuja and major cities that sometimes play host to Mr President are told by the pilots that in another five minutes the plane will begin descent to the city to land, only to be informed minutes later that they have to hover round the airports and stay longer in the sky as there is “presidential passenger or movement”.
Presidential passage or movement, is a situation where the airspace is shut to commercial and other aircraft when presidents, vice presidents and their families are flying in or out of an airport. Government officials often cite security reasons as the underlining rationale behind the action.
Passengers most times rain curses on the airline involved and resort to prayers for them to land safely.
Presidential movement
They do not ask what is this presidential movement that endangers their lives; what is the economic cost of hovering round the airport for more than Thirty minutes when the plane was supposed to have landed in Five minutes; and is this how presidential movement in other countries disrupts flight operations?
Airlines have been groaning silently and bearing the financial burden and wrong passengers perceptions that they don’t keep to time schedule and so, not a reliable airline to fly with. It will be recalled that Human Right activist, Mr Femi Falana, a lawyer, once sued Nigerian Airspace Management Authority, NAMA, for closing Benin City, the Edo State capital, Airport during one of these presidential movements.The closing of airspace each time the President is taking off or landing in an airport has cost the airline operators millions of Naira as flight schedules are disrupted and flight time shifted which might result to some flights canceled, especially those scheduled to go to airports which operate only day time flights with no night time field lighting.
“In a 17-paragraph affidavit in support of the application for the enforcement of his fundamental rights to life and movement Mr. Falana deposed to the fact that the Arik aircraft which conveyed him and 42 other passengers to Benin, Edo State on Friday, December 17, 2010 hovered at the Benin Airport for 35 minutes as it was prevented from landing due to presidential movement. Falana further stated that the pilot flew back to Lagos as the fuel in the aircraft was drying up. “
By the time the Benin airport was opened Falana stated that he had to cancel his trip back to Benin as the programme would have been concluded. Falana complained that while he was unable to attend the burial rites of Mrs. Clara Oshiomole, the late wife of Comrade Adams Oshiomole, Edo State governor, his friend and client, President Goodluck Jonathan attended the same event. ( In his written address Mr. Falana alleged that his freedom of movement was violated while his right to life was endangered when the Arik aircraft was abruptly suspended from landing at the Benin airport by NAMA contrary to Section 7 of the Act (CAP N90) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 .)
Some of the airlines who spoke with Vanguard, most of them on condition of anonymity, on the cost and image implication of these “Presidential movements”, said the airlines have been losing millions of Naira to frequent closures of airspace.
International practice
Speaking with Vanguard on the closure, the Acting General Manager, Public Affairs, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, Mrs Jumoke Adetona , said closing airspace during presidential movement is an international aviation practice. She added that the official time allotted for this closure is Ten minutes before takeoff and Ten minutes before landing.
She however said the time spent by the president or vice-president’s plane to taxi to a stop most times add to the closure time. And that only the President and Vice-President of any country are entitled to this privilege. She also said airline operators are aware of this international practice and Nigeria cannot bend the rules.
The airlines have been agitating silently for a review of this closure time as it is costing the airlines revenue and image. The Chairman of one of the major airlines that control 60% of the Nigerian aviation market told Vanguard that his airline has been losing millions of Naira due to this incessant closure. According to him, the six weeks election extension period disrupted flight schedules of his airline and consequent lose of revenue.
He said what bothers him more, aside the lose of revenue, is the perception of passengers that his airline does not keep to flight schedules. Whereas the underlining cause is the disruptions often experienced by the airline. According to him “ the airline have been suffering silently and losing millions of Naira in revenue. The painful aspect of this whole thing is the negative picture the media paint of the airlines not been reliable in terms of flight schedules; whereas the major cause, aside weather, of these flight disruptions is this unexpected and unplanned closure of airspace for presidential movement”.
A senior management staff of the airline suggested that closure time of the airspace could be reduced. He further said flights going to airports that operates only day time operation should be given priority and allow to fly immediately the airspace is open. Failure to do this has often led to flight cancellations to these airports.
Another airline operator, who is also the Chairman of his airline, however said the airlines should learn to live with these closures during president’s movements. According to him, this is just one of the series of disruptions the airlines have to cope with. He added that weather disruptions of flights has affected the airlines more as planes have to return sometimes to departures points as bad weather at destination points prevent them from landing. This is a complete lose of revenue on that trip.
– See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/04/airline-operators-lose-millions-of-naira-to-presidential-movements/#sthash.w79HSbuY.dpuf
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