AIRPORT SERVICE QUAALITY AND PATRONAGE IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The study examined Airport Service Quality and Patronage in Nigeria using the two main international aiports,Murtala Mohammed Internal Airport and Nnanmdi Azikwe International Airport. The study focuses on ;identifying the services rendered in Nigeria airport, factors influencing airport service quality and factors influencing choice of airport patronage by airlines and passengers. The research works majors on international airlines. The research work is descriptive research which explores only primary data obtained through questionnaire by systematic random sampling. Four hundred questionnaire distributed to passengers, airlines and FAAN operators and three hundred and ninety eight were returned for analysis. Five point likert scale was used to achieve the set objectives while descriptive and regression were employed for data analysis. The study showed that all the services identified were available except de-icing service and this is due to the fact that the country is in a tropical region (Sunny Area) and there won’t be need for de-icing as the sun would have done the job perfectly well. The study also showed some of the factors that hindered the rendering of these service at the airport, Poor implementation of rules and regulations, Poor monitoring, Staff education, Information, Frequent change of policy are the factor impeding the services rendered by FAAN in Abuja while Poor implementation of rules and regulations, Poor monitoring, Staff education, Frequent change of policy are the factor impeding the services rendered by FAAN in Lagos airport. Also there are some factors that informed the patronage level of both airlines and passengers in the selected airports. Aircraft parking and hanger fee, landing fee are the factors airlines considered in choosing the airport to operation. It was discovered that none of the factor considered for passengers’ patronage of the airport is significant under 0.05% confident level. It was said that these might be due to the fact that there is no competition among the international airports in Nigeria and Lagos and Abuja are the busiest and most used airport among all the international airport in Nigeria. It is thus recommended that there should be a stable policies that will ensure the stability of the services rendered to all the customers of the airport, also the parking and landing fee charged to airlines should be minimal so as to encourage them and provides enable environment for the carriage business.