Domestic airlines risk N6.6bn on 25-day Owerri Airport closure

Nigeria’s domestic airlines face a staggering N6.6 billion revenue threat following the announced 25-day shutdown of the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport (Imo Airport).

While the Federal Government and aviation authorities maintain that the temporary closure is vital for critical runway rehabilitation, resurfacing, and extension works ahead of the peak travel season, the disruption has triggered widespread panic.

Scheduled to commence on October 20, the temporary closure is set to disrupt the travel plans of over 55,000 passengers, threatening a daily route intake of N264 million generated across major operators including Air Peace, United Nigeria Airlines, ValueJet, and Enugu Air.

Beyond the immediate financial shock to airline revenues, passengers and regular flyers have raised serious safety concerns, pointing to the heightened risks of turning to alternative road travel through notoriously insecure interstate corridors.

With passengers forced to reroute through alternative hubs in Enugu, Port Harcourt, or Asaba, many express concerns over the additional three-hour road trips required to reach Imo State, warning that worsening insecurity, road hazards and kidnapping risks may force thousands to cancel non-essential trips entirely.

Findings by BusinessDay reveal that Owerri airport processes over 1,000 arriving passengers and more than 1,200 departing passengers daily, representing a daily traffic flow of over 2,200 travelers. Over the proposed 25-day closure period, an estimated 55,000 passengers who would have normally passed through the Owerri terminal will be forced to seek alternative transport arrangements or cancel their travel plans entirely.

A breakdown of current flight schedules shows that ValueJet operates two daily flights into Owerri, comprising one service from Lagos and one from Abuja. Air Peace maintains a heavier presence with three daily flights into Owerri, split into two frequencies from Lagos and one from Abuja. Enugu Air operates two daily flights, bridging connections from Lagos and Abuja, while United Nigeria Airlines also runs two daily flights connecting the Imo State capital with Lagos and Abuja.

With the average cost of a one-way economy class ticket from Lagos or Abuja to Owerri currently standing at N120,000, it means that, on a daily basis, airlines collectively generate an estimated N120 million from arriving passengers and N144 million from departing passengers, bringing the total daily revenue derived from Owerri airport operations to N264 million.

Consequently, over the proposed 25-day closure period, domestic airlines stand to forfeit over N6.6 billion in revenue from the Owerri route alone.

Beyond the severe financial hits to airline balance sheets, frequent travellers and business executives are raising concerns over the safety risks associated with alternative road travel across the region.

Patricia Okechukwu, a Lagos-based businesswoman and regular traveler to Owerri, told BusinessDay that she intends to completely shelve her business trips during the maintenance period due to persistent highway insecurity.

She explained that passengers attempting to reach Owerri during the closure would have to land at alternative regional hubs such as Asaba, Port Harcourt, or Enugu, all of which require an additional three hours or more of road transit to reach Owerri. This extra road commute, she noted, needlessly exposes travelers to security hazards along connecting highways.

“Most of us who travel by air do so specifically to avoid the insecurity concerns on the highways,” Okechukwu said. “If we feel we are still exposed to these exact same risks following the Owerri airport shutdown, then it is simply better to avoid traveling altogether during the period of closure.”

Sharing a similar perspective, Peter Okere, another frequent passenger on the eastern corridor, told BusinessDay that he will strictly restrict his movements to exceptionally urgent matters, opting to suspend all non-essential trips until the runway reopens.

“Everyone knows what is happening on the roads,” Okere lamented. “A relative of mine who was traveling to Enugu by road just two weeks ago was kidnapped and was only released after a ransom was paid. So if a trip is not for a critically urgent reason, the wisest decision is to suspend it until the airport reopens.”

In response to the impending operational disruption, airline management teams are rapidly adjusting their flight networks and re-routing affected travellers to alternate airports.

“We have informed passengers already booked to reroute to other Eastern airports like Port Harcourt, Anambra, Asaba, and Enugu at no extra cost,” Adedayo Olawuyi, Chief Commercial Officer of United Nigeria Airlines, stated.

“We are also adding additional seat capacity to these alternative airports during the closure period. However, we have not been given any formal guarantees and are simply taking FAAN’s word that the airport will be reopened as planned in November.”

Similarly, John Eze, Head of Commercial at Enugu Air, explained that his airline has thoroughly reviewed and adjusted its schedule to accommodate passenger demand while opening new connectivity options across neighboring states.

“Our flight schedule has been reviewed and adjusted, to the extent possible, to accommodate passengers’ needs during this period,” Eze said. “In addition, we have introduced a new Abuja–Asaba–Abuja route to provide passengers with an immediate alternative travel option following the runway closure. Our existing flights to Enugu and Port Harcourt also serve as convenient substitutes for passengers seeking flexible travel arrangements.”

Eze acknowledged that while the temporary suspension of the Owerri route will impact immediate route revenues, the broader financial effect will depend on how effectively passengers redistribute across their wider network. He noted that Enugu Air will manage affected reservations strictly in accordance with regulatory requirements and applicable ticketing policies, offering seamless rebooking on suitable alternative routes or processing full refunds where applicable.

Industry experts and aviation analysts have also weighed in on the operational necessity of the shutdown, debating whether a total 25-day closure was unavoidable or if a phased maintenance approach could have minimised economic shock.

Samuel Caulcrick, former Rector of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), emphasized that structural upkeep cannot be compromised, even though alternative logistical planning is critical.

“Maintenance is vital for the airport’s structural integrity, though they could have phased out the maintenance structure if it were technically possible,” Caulcrick noted

“I hope adequate notices were given to airport users to arrange alternative logistics. But at the end of the day, maintenance, to me, is completely non-negotiable.”

Expounding on the engineering and commercial constraints of runway repairs, Seyi Adewale, Chief Executive Officer of Mainstream Cargo Limited, explained that specific physical conditions dictate whether a runway can be repaired in overnight shifts or requires a complete shutdown.

“Top on the list of conditions limiting phased repairs is the nature of the runway, whether it is constructed with asphalt or concrete, and whether it is partitioned in a manner that allows for the prefabrication of sections,” Adewale observed. “Owerri Airport appears to be asphalt, and as such, the newly laid material requires dedicated time to cure properly. Safety concerns must remain the guiding principle rather than potential public backlash over a considerable closure window. However, it is always safer for authorities to under-promise and over-deliver, as we have seen in previous repair cases across the country.”

Adewale warned that the shutdown will severely disrupt the interstate distribution of plantain and bananas to other regions of the country, as Imo State serves as a major national production hub for these perishable agricultural commodities.

John Ojikutu, an aviation security expert and CEO of Centurion Aviation Security and Safety Consult, questioned why FAAN did not implement night-time repair windows to keep daytime flights operational.

Ojikutu argued that the ‘phased-window-shutdown’ approach adopted internationally relies heavily on strict periodic maintenance schedules, which he suggested have historically been lacking across FAAN-managed facilities.

He stressed that many Nigerian runway Load Classification Numbers (LCN) remain dangerously low for the heavier aircraft modern airlines operate today—a structural factor that operators and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) must continuously evaluate.

“There is no technical reason why the airport should not be closed exclusively for night flying from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM if the resurfacing is restricted to the landing threshold areas, which is generally where most runway wear occurs,” Ojikutu asserted.

“On both ends of a runway, the threshold landing zones typically span no more than 100 meters, while the running area between the two thresholds stretches across 2,500 meters or more. Owerri Airport handles no more than 10 to 12 flights a day, all of which could easily be accommodated within a 15-hour daily operational window from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM, leaving a full eight-hour night window from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM dedicated entirely to resurfacing work.