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On May 8, an article in the PUNCH Newspaper reported that Nigeria may have 500 private jets by 2020. According to the article: “In order to grow the general aviation sector to accommodate the projected number of private jets, the Federal Government, in the policy, said it would give serious consideration to the development of disused or low traffic secondary airports for general aviation.” It also said; “The policy stated that the development of low traffic secondary airports for general aviation would provide “seedbed opportunities” for aviation in areas where it had not yet been significant such as Akure, Makurdi, Minna, Yola and Jalingo, among others.” Of course, the comments after the article were negative. But it is definitely hard to see the positive in things when hope is absent. But ‘lift up your eyes’ for a moment, and pretend you have the $8-$65m required to purchase one of these new toys and I’m your local jet salesman, walking you through our plans showroom. What would I be saying to convince you to drop the cash for the private jet? Advantages of Owning a Private Jet It is convenient: No more standing with the crowd, no more 400m hurdles through the airport, jumping bags and weaving around old ladies as you speed-read the terminal numbers to avoid being told that damning phrase; ‘Sorry, the gate is closed.’ I tell you, for that alone the jet is worth it. Two years ago I missed a flight by a hair’s breadth. Forget the fact that till tomorrow whenever someone in my family wants to take a flight they are reminded not to miss it like… (fill the gaps), the real pain was that as I stood there in the airport at Warri, considering how to get to Lagos, a small party of bankers just strolled past me, and an airport staff said, “Ah, if you knew them you could have followed them.” The MD of a bank had flown in to celebrate something, maybe the regional head’s birthday, and was now leaving for Lagos. They strolled serenely past a sweating (recovering from the 400m hurdles) me, to their waiting private jet. Yes, I saw the advantage that day. It is flexible: You can now town-hop to your heart’s delight, changing and adjusting your destination and time as you please. It is private: Hopefully, by the time you buy your jet the policies in Nigeria would have changed adequately so you can carry a party aboard without having to disclose the identity of the passengers. In fact, according to Forbes; private jet users use a different loading desk and terminal; and before the terrorist attacks they had things far easier with their body and luggage searches. Long story short, it is the VIP way to fly. That said, it would soon be easy to rent one of these private jets for group and corporate travel. Instead of trying to herd a gaggle of people with various boxes through a crowded local airport, rent or buy a jet. But do not forget, with all advantages come disadvantages, namely: Buying a white elephant: Do not buy a plane on your own; this is not a car. If you make a mistake it might cost the lives of well over six passengers. You need a professional with you. The challenges faced by airlines in Nigeria are partly hinged on purchasing planes that were on their last legs, figuratively speaking. You also have to remember that smaller planes, though cheaper, are more easily affected by turbulence, so if you are a queasy flyer, you might stick to commercial just for the size of it. Staff and Maintenance Costs: These costs become more burdensome when you don’t have a lot of places to go. Do you keep pilots on standby, rent a pilot from a training school, or take flight lessons so you can take off and land by yourself? With the Federal Government interested in opening up an opportunity for private jets, there is a market here for private rentals so you can maintain the plane by putting it up for rent. All in all, it just takes one hit to make a winner. While we note that the rail and road networks are still in disarray, this might be the opportunity someone is looking for to change his station in life. And for the masses that cannot afford these jets, be glad, because hopefully, the airports will become less crowded and we get bumped up to business and first class. Photo Credit: equityabroad.com

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This article was first published on 12th May 2013 and updated on May 26th, 2013 at 6:55 pm

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Chojare Pamela Agboga is a Legal Practitioner, Writer, Editor, Chartered Secretary and Administrator. She is currently working on her first novel 'Weekends are for Loving' as well as a devotional for women.