IMPACT OF AIR TRAFFIC DELAY ON AIRLINE OPERATION OF SELECTED AIRLINE INDUSTRY IN NIGERIA (A CASE STUDY OF NNAMDI AZIKWE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT)

ABSTRACT The need for air transportation services has expanded air travel's impact on the national and international economies, facilitating the quick flow of people, products, and services to both local and international markets. Flight delays are plainly irritating to air travelers and costly to airlines. Flight delay has number of reasons why a flight may be delayed, including technical issues at the airport of departure, issues at the airport of arrival, issues during the flight, or a combination of these. This project aimed to investigate the impact of air traffic delays on airline operations at Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport. The research focused on identifying the primary causes of these delays, assessing their effects on the airport's financial performance, and evaluating the strategies implemented to mitigate their impact on flight schedules and customer satisfaction. Data was collected through a well-structured designed questionnaire. All parties involved in the operations of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, Nigeria, make up the study's population. The purposive sampling strategy was used for the investigation. The sample size for the study is 130 respondents. The study makes use of primary data and both descriptive and inferential statistic was used. The ANOVA results show the overall significance of the regression model. The F-statistic of 47.242 is highly significant; with a p-value of 0.000, indicating that at least one predictor variable (increased operational costs, customer dissatisfaction, and financial burden from compensation) significantly contributes to the financial performance of Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport. The Sum of Squares for regression (14.858) and residual (4.822) further confirms that the predictors collectively explain a significant portion of the variability in financial performance. The study concluded that, delays significantly impact the financial performance of airlines operating in this hub, driven primarily by increased operational costs and customer dissatisfaction. However, it was recommended that, airport authority should prioritize investments in infrastructure upgrades to alleviate air traffic congestion and enhance overall operational capacity and also, incorporating advanced technologies can help streamline operations, reduce delays, and improve communication with passengers.