Industry News
6 Nigerian Airlines Form an Alliance to Offer Better Passenger Service By Pranjal Pande
◄Nigeria’s aviation traffic is dominated by foreign carriers currently, but local airlines are looking to turn this around. Photo: John Taggart via Wikimedia Commons
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n a major step today, six Nigerian airlines have entered into an alliance to improve passenger service. Signed in Lagos this week, the pact will see the country’s largest airlines minimize the impact of delays on travelers and offer better service across the board. Here’s a look at the new ‘Spring Alliance.’
Much needed According to AllAfrica, the Spring Alliance consists of six domestic Nigerian carriers, namely Air Peace, Arik Air, Azman Air, Aero Contractors, Max Air, and United Nigeria. The pact covers the country and region’s largest airlines, aiding passengers when required. So what exactly will the benefits be? The biggest improvement will be protection from flight disruptions. With delays extremely common in Nigeria, the six airlines have agreed to transfer passengers from one airline to another in case of any difficulties. This means far fewer chances of lawsuits and stories of 24+ hour delays due to technical issues at the airline. This is a common practice in other countries, especially among significant alliances like
▲Aero
oneworld or Star Alliance and through codeshare partners if needed. However, formalizing the practice will make it much easier to rebook passengers when the need arises. In a statement, the Chairman of Air Peace and VP of Airline Operators of Nigeria, Allen Onyema, said, “By this alliance, our passengers are protected whenever there is a problem with one airline. It is our response to the complaints of the flying public,
16 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL | March 2022
