With Niger Republic joining the leagues of West African countries that have closed their airspace, flight travels and commercial aviation businesses are now being threatened; KEHINDE OSASONA gives more insight.
Background
It is no longer news that Niger Republic like some countries in the West African region before it had on August 6, this year, closed its airspace against commercial and other flights until further notice.
Niger Republic is the third country in the region to close its airspace after Sudan and Libya which had shut their airspace for the past twelve years.
Nigeria, being the hub of commerce and aviation businesses, has its aviation industry bearing the brunt of the closure as airlines flying between Europe and South Africa are forced to grapple with longer flight distances and increased operating costs.
Today, the growing list of airspace closures following the Niger Republic coup has placed airline connectivity across the West African sub-region under threat, as they circumvent the closed airspace to get to their destinations. The development experts said it would also lead to a rise in airfares.
While justifying the closure in a broadcast, a junta representative who spoke on national television cited the threat of military intervention which may arise from the West African regional bloc as its reason.
One of the coup leaders was quoted further as saying: “In the face of the threat of intervention that is becoming more apparent. Nigerien airspace is closed effective from today.”
Coupists in Niger republic, it would be recalled, allegedly rejected a deadline to reinstate the country’s ousted president, Mohamed Bazoum.
Blueprint Weekend reports that it’s the seventh in West and Central Africa in three years as it rocked the uranium and oil-rich French-speaking country.
Checks by this medium revealed that uranium holds importance for the U.S., Europe, France, China and Russia.
It was also reported that ECOWAS handed out its own deadline of 11:59 PM local time (UTC +1) on August 6, 2023, to Niger’s junta to reinstate the President of Niger Mohamed Bazoum, as it also drew up an intervention plan.
Matters arising
The sudden decision to close the country’s airspace has not been without its challenges, as airlines are now scrambling for alternative routes to and from Africa, especially those commercial flights whose routes run from north to south of the continent.
According to another report, flights now take lengthy detours which usually add approximately 1,000 or more extra kilometers to their flights, thereby leading to surge in fuel consumption, financial strain on airlines and passengers via increased ticket prices and other unforeseen additional expenses.
By bypassing the Nigerien airspace, aviation experts said flights carrying passengers from Nigeria to Europe will likely spend an additional hour to get to its destination.
Kingsley Nwokeoma, the president of the Association of Foreign Airlines and Representatives in Nigeria, noted that with the closure of Niger’s airspace, connecting flights to Europe and US will be more expensive, saying flight options will be limited.
He said, “We are already grappling with foreign exchange scarcity and trapped funds, which have increased the cost of fares. This will only be more trouble for us and I hope the issue will be resolved as soon as possible.”
Zero emissions in jeopardy?
Aviation experts have described the sector as the worst culprit of polluting the environment despite efforts at finding ways to reduce the carbon emissions menace globally.
Statistics show that emissions from global commercial aviation will make up about three per cent of global emissions in 2019, and have surged more than 30 per cent over the previous decade. But air travel has continually made addressing rising emissions imperative.
This is apart from the fact that the aviation industry has been slow to address its emissions, which aren’t covered by the Paris Accord.
Going by the current development in Niger and other West African spaces, it appears that the much-touted 2050 target agreed at the Paris agreement can no longer be guaranteed.
The Paris agreement is an international accord that was adopted by nations to address climate change and its negative impact. The agreement aims to among other things substantially reduce global greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to limit the global temperature increase with commitment among major emitting countries
However, with flights plying the Africa-Europe airspace spending more hours in space, the target to reach “net zero” emissions may have been jeopardised.
With airplanes bypassing routes and spending more hours in the air, air travel will continue pumping additional carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and for the aviation industry to pull carbon-dioxide out of the air would be a hoax after all.
According to experts, depending on the aircraft, it takes an average of two to two and half hours to cross to an alternative route in 2600km.
IATA estimates that SAF could make up around 65% of the emissions reduction needed by aviation to reach net-zero by 2050.
But it says, “This will require a massive increase in production in order to meet demand. The largest acceleration is expected in the 2030s as policy support becomes global, SAF becomes competitive with fossil kerosene and credible offsets become scarcer.”
Travellers’ dilemmas
Meanwhile, Nigerians, especially air travellers, have continued to lament the hike in transportation fares ranging from air travel after the Niger Impasse.
The astronomical increase in air fares has made some travellers shelve their journeys, while others have had to pay through their noses to travel out.
Speaking exclusively to this reporter, Akin Omogori, a would-be traveller to London, said he had shelved the journey owing to the ugly development.
According to him, “I do not know how to raise money to make my trip as the current situation has exceeded my budget. Honestly, I can’t. Thankfully, I was billed to meet my family, but it’s fine, they will understand.”
Another traveller, Hope Effiong, said she had no choice but to travel out because she will be resuming class.
“I have to rally my friends and family to raise money to be able to travel back. Am schooling in the US and only came home for my mum’s burial.
“I believe the situation will normalise after the ECOWAS and Niger coupists meet, but for now, I have no choice,” he said.
