Yuletide: Business booms for airlines

Shola Adekola, Lagos - 24.12.2007

Airlines across the country have been smiling home with cash in their coffers following the heavy traffic witnessed in the past two weeks due to the festive seasons.

Following the seasons, many airlines, according to investigations, have been fully booked till February and March.

When the Nigerian Tribune visited the local terminal of the airport at the weekend, many local airlines had been booked, while some were rebuffing passengers who were willing to pay more for available seats.

The departure halls at both the new terminal 2 and the one at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) had always been filled by passengers struggling to obtain tickets to enable them travel to celebrate Christimas and New Year with their loved ones.

The international wing of the airport was not left out as foreign airlines cart away millions of foreign currencies back to their home countries.

To get a seat in any foreign carrier now may be impossible as they have been booked till March by passengers, mostly Nigerians.

Some airline workers spoken to at the international airport, though refused to give an estimate of what their airlines could have made during the traffic, expressed surprises at the traffic witnessed, saying it would bring more money into their pockets.