138 Private jets in Nigeria at the moment, 12 brand new to be delivered in 2014; Bombardier market leader….

"Aviation experts and analysts have said that
Nigeria is the fastest growing aviation market in
the world after China".
At least 12 brand new private jets ordered by
Nigerians and some corporate bodies will be
delivered to the country this year.
This is an offshoot of the projection by private jet
manufacturers to deliver 70 brand new private jets
to the country within the next five years.
The Regional Vice-President, Sales, Middle East,
Africa and Turkey, Bombardier Business Aircraft,
the Canada-based aircraft manufacturing firm, Mr.
Khadar Mattar, who made the disclosure in an
exclusive interview with our correspondent,
described the private jet market in Nigeria as
currently "booming."
He spoke on the sidelines of Nigerian Economic
Summit organised by London-based Economist in
Lagos on Monday.
Mattar, who said his company delivered 88 out of
the 138 aircraft currently flying in Nigeria, noted
that Bombardier was currently the market leader in
terms of the number of aircraft in Africa.
He said, "In Nigeria, we are looking at another 60 to
70 new business aircraft within the next five years;
that is about 10 airplanes a year. There are 138
airplanes in Nigeria at the moment.
"Bombardier is currently leading the market in
Nigeria and Africa. Twelve new ones should be
delivered this year."
According to him, the 12 new business aircraft to
be delivered to Nigeria this year will be supplied by
Bombardier and other private jet manufacturers,
which he did not mention.
He also did not give the organisations and people
who had ordered for the private jets in the country.
Other private jet manufacturers with significant
market share in Nigeria are Embraer, Hawker
Beechcraft, Gulfstream and Cessna Citation.
The state-of-the-art private jets being flown by
business moguls, pastors, politicians and public
office holders in the country are made by one of
these manufacturers.
Mattar said medium-size and large-size private
jets were currently more in demand in Nigeria
because their owners were flying them to longer
distances in Africa, Europe and other continents for
business engagements.
As a result, he said the demand for small-size
private jets were relatively low.
Most medium-size and large-size private jets
currently go for between $30m and $65m.
Taking an average price of $40m per aircraft, the
12 new private jets slated for delivery in Nigeria
this year are expected to cost about $480m
(N76.8bn).
Also, the 70 new private jets projected for delivery
in the country over the next five years are
estimated to be about $2.8bn (N448bn).
The Bombardier senior official also said he
expected the 138 private jets currently in the
country to double to 276 in the next 10 years
because of the manner the business aircraft
market was growing in Nigeria.
Mattar said, "The business aviation market in
Nigeria is booming. It is actually its time. I will
expect that it will double in size in the next 10
years. People are flying outside Nigeria now;
people are flying within Africa because of their
business expansion; people are flying to Europe
because of their business expansion and the
financials that they require.
"Nigeria as a country has actually changed; we
have more laws and regulations. Infrastructure is
changing, which is adapting to the new expansion.
Because of this, you will see more private jets
actually flying in Nigeria."
Aviation experts and analysts have said that
Nigeria is the fastest growing aviation market in
the world after China.
According to them, the global financial meltdown
has made the private jet market to slow down in
Europe and the United States, and private jet
manufacturers are now turning to the Middle East,
China and Africa for survival.
In the last two years, private jet manufacturers
from the US, Europe and other parts have held
several exhibitions in Nigeria and other parts of
Africa in their bid to outdo one another.
A London-based aviation expert and Chief
Executive Officer, African Aviation, Mr. Nick
Fadugba, said lack of effective air link within Africa
had created a major opportunity for the growth of
the business aviation market on the continent.
He said most times, people travelled to Europe first
on commercial airlines before they could connect
some cities in Africa.
But the Bombardier official said Nigeria and other
African governments needed to improve on
existing aviation infrastructure to ensure more
growth for the business aviation or the private jet
sector within the continent.
Mattar said, "I am very optimistic about the
business aviation market in Africa. People are now
taking it seriously. They are looking at investing in
fixed-base operations. They are looking at smaller
airports to develop within and outside Africa.
"But it takes time. Infrastructure is needed. It is
that serious in Africa, which is good for the
business aircraft because people need to fly.
Imagine I want to fly from Lagos to Namibia; it
takes me two days to get there on commercial
airlines. I will have to go to South Africa first before
going to Namibia, or I have to go to Europe first. But
with business aircraft, I can go and come back the
same day and do my business."