Limited airline capacity and operational challenges are constraining Nigeria’s ability to fully benefit from the Detty December travel surge, according to George Uriesi, Acting MD/CEO, Ibom Air.
Uriesi said many Nigerian carriers remain too small to operate reliably at peak demand, leading to delays, rescheduling, and passenger dissatisfaction.
“An airline with five or six aircraft is not an airline—it’s a wannabe airline,” he said.
He explained that during the festive season, flights are heavily booked in one direction—into major cities like Lagos and Abuja—creating operational strain.
Unexpected technical issues, he noted, can disrupt entire schedules due to lack of backup aircraft.
“If one aircraft develops a fault, it can scatter the whole system. You don’t have redundancy,” he said.
Uriesi revealed that Ibom Air plans to expand its fleet to between 15 and 20 aircraft in the coming years to improve reliability and meet growing demand.
Despite these constraints, he said airlines play a critical role in supporting Detty December by connecting inbound passengers to destinations such as Port Harcourt, Uyo, and Calabar.
However, he stressed that sustainable growth requires broader industry development.
“Most of our problems stem from smallness. We must scale up to meet expectations,” he said.
