By ALEX ENEBELI

An aviation expert, Dr Christopher Edeh, has identified poor management, unpaid salaries, inadequate planning, high cost of aircraft spare parts, insufficient training and rising operational costs as major challenges facing airline operations in Nigeria.

Edeh, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Eastwing Aviation Institute (EAI), Enugu, said this on Saturday at the 2026 South-East Aviation Summit/Eastwing Youth Aviation Competition (SASEYC) 2.0 in Enugu.

He said prospective airline operators needed to understand the technical, regulatory and financial demands of the aviation industry before investing in the sector.

The expert said the collapse of several airlines in Nigeria, including Nigeria Airways, Bellview Airlines, Med-View Airline, Sosoliso Airlines and Imo Air, highlighted some of the challenges facing operators in the

sector.

“So, we asked ourselves, why are airlines failing in Nigeria?

“In the history of Nigeria, when we look at Okada Air, it was an airline. Where is Nigeria Airways today? Where is Bellview? Where is Med-View Airline? Where is Sosoliso? Where is Imo Air?

“Where are these airlines today? What happened?” he asked.

According to him, failure to pay workers’ salaries promptly could contribute to the collapse of an airline, as pilots, engineers and other professionals would seek employment elsewhere when their salaries were owed.

“Immediately you owe them one or two months, the pilots and engineers start looking for another place. That is the beginning of the end of that airline,” he said.

Edeh also identified the high cost of aircraft spare parts and strict maintenance requirements as major challenges confronting airlines.

He explained that aircraft components had specified service lives and must be removed or replaced when they reached prescribed limits, irrespective of whether they appeared to be functioning properly.

“Aircraft is not something you can just go to London or somewhere and get spare parts. Every part you put inside an aircraft is life-limited,” he said.

Edeh also said continuous training of aviation personnel was essential to maintaining safety standards.

“Aviation training is not one-off training. You train somebody and that is not the end. An engineer, every two or three years, must be brought back into the classroom to review what he has done before.

“A pilot also, at least once a year, has to undergo recurrent training,” he said.

He noted that some airlines attempted to avoid the cost of recurrent training, warning that such practice could create serious operational and safety challenges.

Edeh described the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) as the “policeman” of the industry because of its responsibility to regulate and monitor aviation activities.

According to him, operators and training organisations must obtain the necessary approvals before commencing aviation-related activities.

He said EAI approached the NCAA when it commenced operations and that the authority inspected its facilities before approving it as a training institution.

Edeh further identified aviation fuel and other operational expenses as factors that operators must carefully manage, urging prospective investors to undertake adequate financial planning before entering the industry.

He recalled that Nigeria once had several airlines and had produced skilled aviation professionals through institutions such as the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria.

Edeh said EAI was established to provide young Nigerians with opportunities to acquire aviation knowledge and skills locally.

“We want to give these youths the opportunity so that they will know that tomorrow they have a choice to make, either to go overseas or do it in Nigeria,” he said.

He encouraged young Nigerians interested in aviation to consider careers as pilots, aircraft engineers and other aviation professionals, while cautioning that obtaining aviation qualifications required commitment, time and proper training.

Edeh said EAI had collaborated with aviation institutions and training organisations in Nigeria and abroad to expand opportunities for young people.

On the competition, he encouraged participating students to take advantage of available opportunities. (NAN)

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