Air fare hike will reduce passenger patronage- Ibom Air boss
By Chukwuemeke Iwelunmo
The Chief Operating Officer (COO), Ibom Air, Mr George Uriesi says, raising air fares as a result of rise in the exchange rate of foreign currencies to the naira is not an option to sustain operation but to scare away passengers.
Uriesi who was responding to questions from newsmen at the just concluded Chinet conference held in Lagos, admitted that situation was critical and raised cause for concern.
According to him, Airlines are currently facing the crushing effect of the dollar floatation by the federal government and cannot raise fares as that may further decrease the number of passengers who may be willing to fly despite the economic situation.
”You cannot increase fares ad-infinitum, at some point you get to where’ na only you and your airplane go dey fly‘ so you have to first struggle where you are. We have not raised fares because at this point in time if you attempt to do it, you’d be flying empty”.
On its Ghana operations, Mr Uriesi,” we are preparing for it but truth is that right now the terrain is getting difficult everyday with the dollar pricing. But yes, we plan to start going to Accra from Lagos from September and the plan is still on, I don’t think anything is going to stop that.
”However, you would want to start a new route in a stable and predictable environment, but Nigerian airlines sha, somehow we manage it all the time, we just keep going.”
He, however, stated that the airline, Ibom Air was still committed to start its West Coast operations commencing with Ghana despite the unpredictable terrain
The COO, noted that insurance, one of the dollar based payment components of any airline business is a sine qua non and with the rising cost of the dollar so increases the losses.
He, therefore m explained that He the airline’s losses are those accumulated in dollars due to the rising cost. “Insurance is a growing problem and because we cannot fly an uninsured aircraft we have no choice but to hang in there and source for the dollars to do the insurance.
” The losses we accumulated were mainly dollar based components, when you are procuring dollar above the then CBN rate, you apply when it was 400 to a dollar and you get it at 680. The difference is a lot.
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” Now, it is being floated and it is running faster. Yesterday we bought dollar for 915 but on the platform it was put at 890. Today, it is 900 on the platform I’m sure when we are getting it we would procure at 950.”
He added that, “the new style now is they tell you ‘ give us cash and when we buy dollar we will give you. But it delays, you ask for your cash back ans they tell you that you wouldn’t get the dollar.
” Then when they now have the $400,000 they will now tell you the price they got it for exceeds what was paid and you need to add more. That is where we are now, I don’t know how other airlines are managing”, he said.
