L:R: VP NANTA, Yinka Folami, Adeola Adewole, NANTA PRO, Mrs. Susan Akporiaye, President NANTA and VP NANTA, Western zone, Babatunde Adesokan at the news conference in Lagos.
….says their business is on the verge of total collapse
The National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies, NANTA, has described as exploitative the current foreign airlines airfare of over three million naira for economy class tickets.
President of NANTA, Mrs. Susan Akporiaye at a news conference in Lagos said, an economy flight ticket of Three hundred thousand naira now sales for One point five million naira while One million naira is charged for change of travel dates.
Executive members of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies, NANTA who were part of the news conference expressed disappointment with the action taken by foreign airlines to frustrate Nigerian passengers and destroy their businesses.
They say, the foreign airlines have no right to capitalize on their trapped funds to exploit the market in the name of protecting their business.
President of NANTA, Mrs. Susan Akporiaye while appreciating the response to the release of some funds, urged the government to as a matter of urgency open further window of engagement by calling a meeting with all parties.
“We are calling on our minister to please call us to the table, the airlines are willing to talk that is the honest truth, they want to hear, they want to shift base, everybody is willing to adjust, they just need to talk to us”.
Mrs. Akporiaye disclosed that, the foreign airlines were unhappy because they were paid short of the 25% of the trapped funds released while others were yet to get their money.
She emphasized that, there was a transparency and trust issues in the matter.
“This now is creating a trust issues with the airlines, there is no transparency and so the airlines are not confident that we really mean to pay them this money, I believe hence the reason why they are still holding forth and they are still watching to see how it goes”.
According to her, some of the foreign airlines have closed their inventories while those who are opened are selling tickets at high price solely targeted at Nigeria and Nigerians not seen anywhere in Africa or beyond.
Vice President NANTA, Mr. Yinka Folami and Treasurer Dr. Dagunduro Olatokunbo said, if the situation was not nipped in the bud, it could lead to loss of jobs.
“We should also look at the volume of trade that this market generate. We have a lot of airline staff who will loss jobs for us as trade agents the mirror of the public, we downside our staff”.
They urged the foreign airlines to rethink their decision and restore all inventories across board and think of the good days when they flew in and out of Nigeria enjoying the best patronage from the Ngerian travelling public.
