Ex-NCAA Boss Warns of Collapse as Foreign Airlines Tighten Grip on Lagos–London Route

A former head of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Harold Olusegun Demuren, has warned that Nigeria risks “permanent marginalisation” on the lucrative Lagos–London air corridor unless urgent government intervention stabilizes the local aviation sector.

Speaking at a lecture organised by the transportation communications firm SAPTCO at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Demuren said the dominance of foreign carriers on the route amounts to “a silent export of national wealth.”

He argued that foreign airlines benefit from disproportionate market share thanks to capacity imbalance, discriminatory pricing and weak support for domestic carriers conditions that erode Nigeria’s foreign exchange, weaken local operators and jeopardise long-term industry viability.

Demuren urged the government to renegotiate bilateral air-services agreements, provide leasing and currency-exchange support, and direct official travel to local airlines through a proposed “Fly Nigeria Act.”

He also called on local airlines to build capacity, improve reliability, pursue strategic alliances and broaden their route networks noting that when domestic carriers win only occasional slots, the imbalance threatens sustainability.

Oshuniran Sheriff Ola