The Nation Newspaper

Category: Aviation

  • ‘Over 40% air accidents are weather related’

    The former Director, Weather Services, Nigeria Met eorological Agency (NIMET),Chief Thaddeus Obidike has said statistics has shown that over 40 per cent of air accidents and incidents are weather related.

    Presenting a paper titled Aviation Weather Hazard and Aircraft Accident and Inciden at an aviation forum with Sustaining Safety in the Nigerian Aviation Sector organised by Aeroconsult  last week in Lagos as its theme, he said: “Statistics has shown that over 40 per cent of aviation accidents and incidents are weather related. Aviation safety therefore cannot be discussed effectively without proper focus on weather information, which includes weather reports, weather forecasts, and early warning of impending weather hazards.”

    Weather, he said  is known to affect every phase of flight operation, including take-off and climb out, cruising, maneuvering and landing phase but however pointed out that jet aircraft, especially those on long-distance flights cruise at altitudes in the upper layer  and  lower stratosphere, where to a  large extent they are above the active weather zone.

    Obidike arguedthat weather affects them mainly in the take-off and climb out phase and decent for approach and landing phase, adding that short distance flights usually operate in the lower and middle troposphere up to about eight km and as a result are more prone to be affected by adverse weather systems.

    The weather expert said in aviation, weather information plays a very important role in flight operation adding that based on that, the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) and World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) established a working relationship in this regard.

    He added that while ICAO established requirement and sets standards, WMO established how to meet these requirements and sets standards for service delivery.

    On weather early warning system for aviation, he explained that it involves early identification and tracking of those weather  phenomena in the atmosphere that constitute aviation hazards, with a view to giving early alert, good lead time, to ensure that precautionary measures are taken by operators  to avoid accident or minimize losses.

    He further explained that it also involves putting instruments and facilities in place for monitoring.

    Communication, he said is an integral part of aviation early warning system adding that there must be a fast and adequate means of delivering weather information to the users or to those that will be at risk.

    He added that time scale is also a very important aspect of early warning system, as some weather systems develop much more quickly than others and in some cases, the status of a weather event can change very quickly.

  • Experts advocate slot allocation to enhance public revenue

    Experts advocate slot allocation to enhance public revenue

    Barring any hitches the Federal Government will from October 27, stop collecting  royalties, commercial air agreements paid by foreign carriers flying into Nigeria.

    It is estimated that the nation will lose several billions of naira hitherto earned from these payments . But, experts have argued that more money could be earned if government goes ahead to introduce slot allocation system at airports for foreign carriers .

    Only indigenous carriers will be given in aviation parlance , “grand father rights “, priority. Other carriers are expected to apply for and pay to get a landing and take off rights at major international airports .

    The abolition of the payments is in compliance with the directive issued by global aviation  regulator : International Civil Aviation Organisation ( ICAO).

    Last year in Montreal , Canada, the headquarters of ICAO , delegates of member states at the 38th session of the assembly, adopted a new framework to ensure long-term of sustainability of the air transport industry .

    The focus of the new framework, is to further deepen the liberalisation of the industry.

    According to ICAO, this has become imperative because of the increasingly global and competitive environment in which air transport operates.

    The ICAO regulation states: ”We hereby direct member states to abolish restrictions and liberalise air transport . This involves non – discriminatory and transparent treatment of foreign airlines. This would involve, for example, no royalties or mandatory commercial agreements between nations  and foreign airlines.”

    Some aviation experts, including former spokesman of the liquidated Nigeria Airways Limited, Mr Chris Aligbe, and Aviation Economist, Mr Taiwo Adenekan  and Managing Director of Medview Airlines, Alhaji Muneer Bankole,  have canvassed slot allocation system for foreign carriers as a alternate window to generate revenue for government.

    They said the revenue lost to the abolition of royalties and commercial agreements could be regained in another way if the slot allocation system is adopted .

    Slot allocation system, according Aligbe,  is  the right granted by an airport owner which allows the slot holder to schedule a landing, or departure during a specific time .

    He said : “A landing slot, take-off slot, or airport slot is a right granted by an airport owner which allows the slot holder to schedule a landing, or departure during a specific time period.

    Landing slots are allocated in accordance with guidelines set by the IATA’s Worldwide Airport Slots Group. All airports worldwide are categorised.

    Allocated landing slots may have a commercial value and can be traded between airlines.

    If an airline doesn’t use the allocation of its slots,  then it can lose the rights. Airlines may operate ghost or empty flights to preserve slot allocations.”

    He said: “We should go ahead and create a slot allocation system and move away from bilateral air services  agreements ( BASA) and royalties because BASA royalties are a disappearing phenomenon that will become anachronistic in many places and they tell us it is commercial, they have transferred earning from BASA to slots.”

    Aligbe insisted that payment for royalty or demand for royalty is becoming outdat­ed and no longer obtainable in the industry.

    Rather  than depend on royalties arising from the commercial agreement, the government should commence slot allocation systems for airlines operating into Nigeria.

    He argued that in today’s global avia­tion industry, players are requesting for open skies, multiple designations, instead of dual designations and freer air, adding that as a result of open skies agreements, none of the US operating into the coun­try pays royalty to the Nigerian government.

    He argued that with effective slot allocation system on ground, the Nigerian government would earn much more revenues from the sys­tem than what it is presently earning through commercial agreements from airlines.

    He said: “What has come into place now is slot allocation system and the money made from slot, if we have one, will be 10 times more than the royalties that we are currently get­ting from the airlines. In Europe and America, they have created slot as a quota system based on the argument that they have congestion and that slot has become very difficult to get.

    “That was why when Arik Air applied to London from Abuja and they were asking it to pay for a pair of slot, the sum of 9,000 pounds daily, which means if you are going to fly seven times a week; that is 9,000 pounds times seven weekly. “Royalties should be out completely and we should put in place the slot system.

    “Even in the books of airlines, the Lloyds did a study on European airlines, the money they earn from the secondary sales of slots is beginning to en­ter their account books. Some of them make now over 30 million and 60 million pounds. That is even the airlines and not the airport itself in secondary trade of slots.”

    There is an indication that Nigeria could make about N30 billion annually from slot allocation to foreign airlines as an alternative to royalties paid on Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA).

    The accruals will evolve from extra frequencies given to these airlines as many of them operate from different entry points in the country.

    Slot is a system whereby the airport management sells landing time and space to an airline for extra slots in addition to the existing frequency agreement between the country that owns the airline and Nigeria.

    He said :” For example, when Arik Air wanted to fly from Abuja to London, the airport management in London, the British Airports Authority (BAA) insisted the Nigerian airline should pay for slot amounting £250,000 (N63, 098, 225) per schedule (there are Summer, Winter, Autumn and Spring schedules) which is equivalent to quarter of a year.

    “UK and Nigeria have bilateral agreement that offered 14 frequencies to both countries, so while British Airways utilises seven frequencies between London and Lagos a week; Virgin Atlantic utilises the remaining seven frequencies between Lagos and London per week.

    “The federal government allocated only seven frequencies to Arik Air, which it is using for its Lagos to London operation. So when it wanted to operate from Abuja to London, BAA demanded the aforementioned sum of money per quarter of a year.

    So in the event Nigeria introduces slot allocation, these foreign airlines will start paying fees for the extra frequencies they operate from different airports in the country. For example, Ethiopian Airlines will be paying for slot to Enugu, Abuja and Kano, while Air France will pay for slot in Port Harcourt and Abuja; the same with Lufthansa and other airlines that operate into more than one airport in the country.

    “The difference between slot and frequencies allocated on BASA is that the latter is periodic; it could be for a quarter, for a season etc, but BASA allocated frequencies could last for over 10 years, until both countries agree to review the BASA.

    “Before now Nigeria was making about $25 million from the royalties paid on BASA annually (about N4,125,000,000), but now every country will have to migrate to slot allocation, which nullifies the old system of payment of royalties.

    Industry operators said the sale of slot allocation would multiply the earnings from royalties and could accrue to N30 billion annually.”

    Aligbe said Nigeria could be generating so much money if it had adopted the slot allocation system.

    “The critical issue in this country is that we should create slot allocation system. If we create it, the money we will make from slot will be almost 10 times the money we will be making from BASA and that is the truth. Nigeria can sell slots, they can sell it in a season, the next season they take it back. They can sell it for one year and the next year they take it back, and look for a higher bidder. This is a study by the Lloyds”, he said.

    The managing director  of Med-view Airline, Alhaji Muneer Bankole urged the Federal Government to establish a strong policy on how foreign airlines should be paying for slots because that is the only thing the country could benefit from them.

    “If foreign airlines want to go into every airport in the country, they will be welcomed, but Nigeria should have something in return to develop Nigeria’s airports. This is because the foreign airlines are not adding any value; they come, drop and go. They are not establishing jobs for people; they are not putting anything on the ground for Nigerians,” Bankole said .

    In his comments, Adenekan said collection of money from air agreements are outdated .

    He said introduction of slot allocation system could earn more money for the country .

    Industry analyst, Olu Fidel Ohunayo seemed not to be optimistic about slot allocation working successfully in Nigeria.

    But he believes that, if government sees it as better option, it could embrace it. Many however noted that the way the situation is, Nigeria does not seem to have many options and for it to earn money from foreign airlines, it must introduce the slot allocation option.

    He said : “I sincerely hope they have weighed their options before opting for slot allocation. Slot allocation is for congested airports and efficient use of time and space; that is not the scenario in Nigeria. The foreign airlines easily and quickly increase frequency courtesy of the Ministry of Aviation and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). How they expect slot revenue to effectively surpass and strengthen our carriers is really puzzling. Our policy, whether slot or BASA should encourage primarily the domestic airlines, while revenue should be secondary.”

  • ‘How Nigeria will gain from Category One safety rating’

    The recertification of Nigeria’s civil aviation’s safety rating by the United States Federal Aviation Administration ( US FAA), would increase investment opportunities in the country , the acting Director-General, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Benedict Adeyileka has said .

    Adeyileka, who said the safety rating would also open another window for indigenous carriers to be designated to fly into multiple points in the United States of America.

    He said the category one safety rating will now restore more confidence of air safety in Nigeria, because all the identified deficiencies pointed out by the team of experts from the US FAA have been corrected .

    Adeyileka said the NCAA has begun a continuous self regulation mechanism to enhance its regulations in line with global standards.

    The  NCAA, he  said  despite the retention of the United States Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, Category One Status  would not rest on its oars.

    Rather, the authority he said will continue to train and retrain its staff in order to sustain the professionalism that is already in existence in the authority.

    Adeyileka said NCAA has indicated its readiness for the International Civil Aviation Organisation(ICAO) audit,  assuring that unlike the FAA audit where it requested for an extension in order to put all the necessary measures in place, it will not request for such for the ICAO audit.

    Adeyileka noted that with the retention of the status, which the country attained in August 2010, both local and foreign investors would now have broader confidence on Nigeria while foreign airline operators would continue to fly into the country with more confidence.

    He said that the retention of the status had further revealed that safety and comfort are already entrenched in the country’s civil aviation industry.

    The retention of the status would further lead to low insurance premium for the country’s carriers, continuous direct flights, more competition and convenience to the passengers.

    He said, “Today, we are very happy for how far we have gone. I commend the cooperation of all stakeholders including all the agencies in the sector as everybody ensured that we came out successfully in this audit.

  • Experts advocate slot allocation to enhance public revenue

    Experts advocate slot allocation to enhance public revenue

    Barring any hitches the Federal Government will from October 27, stop collecting  royalties, commercial air agreements paid by foreign carriers flying into Nigeria.

    It is estimated that the nation will lose several billions of naira hitherto earned from these payments . But, experts have argued that more money could be earned if government goes ahead to introduce slot allocation system at airports for foreign carriers .

    Only indigenous carriers will be given in aviation parlance , “grand father rights “, priority. Other carriers are expected to apply for and pay to get a landing and take off rights at major international airports .

    The abolition of the payments is in compliance with the directive issued by global aviation  regulator : International Civil Aviation Organisation ( ICAO).

    Last year in Montreal , Canada, the headquarters of ICAO , delegates of member states at the 38th session of the assembly, adopted a new framework to ensure long-term of sustainability of the air transport industry .

    The focus of the new framework, is to further deepen the liberalisation of the industry.

    According to ICAO, this has become imperative because of the increasingly global and competitive environment in which air transport operates.

    The ICAO regulation states: ”We hereby direct member states to abolish restrictions and liberalise air transport . This involves non – discriminatory and transparent treatment of foreign airlines. This would involve, for example, no royalties or mandatory commercial agreements between nations  and foreign airlines.”

    Some aviation experts, including former spokesman of the liquidated Nigeria Airways Limited, Mr Chris Aligbe, and Aviation Economist, Mr Taiwo Adenekan  and Managing Director of Medview Airlines, Alhaji Muneer Bankole,  have canvassed slot allocation system for foreign carriers as a alternate window to generate revenue for government.

    They said the revenue lost to the abolition of royalties and commercial agreements could be regained in another way if the slot allocation system is adopted .

    Slot allocation system, according Aligbe,  is  the right granted by an airport owner which allows the slot holder to schedule a landing, or departure during a specific time .

    He said : “A landing slot, take-off slot, or airport slot is a right granted by an airport owner which allows the slot holder to schedule a landing, or departure during a specific time period.

    Landing slots are allocated in accordance with guidelines set by the IATA’s Worldwide Airport Slots Group. All airports worldwide are categorised.

    Allocated landing slots may have a commercial value and can be traded between airlines.

    If an airline doesn’t use the allocation of its slots,  then it can lose the rights. Airlines may operate ghost or empty flights to preserve slot allocations.”

    He said: “We should go ahead and create a slot allocation system and move away from bilateral air services  agreements ( BASA) and royalties because BASA royalties are a disappearing phenomenon that will become anachronistic in many places and they tell us it is commercial, they have transferred earning from BASA to slots.”

    Aligbe insisted that payment for royalty or demand for royalty is becoming outdat­ed and no longer obtainable in the industry.

    Rather  than depend on royalties arising from the commercial agreement, the government should commence slot allocation systems for airlines operating into Nigeria.

    He argued that in today’s global avia­tion industry, players are requesting for open skies, multiple designations, instead of dual designations and freer air, adding that as a result of open skies agreements, none of the US operating into the coun­try pays royalty to the Nigerian government.

    He argued that with effective slot allocation system on ground, the Nigerian government would earn much more revenues from the sys­tem than what it is presently earning through commercial agreements from airlines.

    He said: “What has come into place now is slot allocation system and the money made from slot, if we have one, will be 10 times more than the royalties that we are currently get­ting from the airlines. In Europe and America, they have created slot as a quota system based on the argument that they have congestion and that slot has become very difficult to get.

    “That was why when Arik Air applied to London from Abuja and they were asking it to pay for a pair of slot, the sum of 9,000 pounds daily, which means if you are going to fly seven times a week; that is 9,000 pounds times seven weekly. “Royalties should be out completely and we should put in place the slot system.

    “Even in the books of airlines, the Lloyds did a study on European airlines, the money they earn from the secondary sales of slots is beginning to en­ter their account books. Some of them make now over 30 million and 60 million pounds. That is even the airlines and not the airport itself in secondary trade of slots.”

    There is an indication that Nigeria could make about N30 billion annually from slot allocation to foreign airlines as an alternative to royalties paid on Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA).

    The accruals will evolve from extra frequencies given to these airlines as many of them operate from different entry points in the country.

    Slot is a system whereby the airport management sells landing time and space to an airline for extra slots in addition to the existing frequency agreement between the country that owns the airline and Nigeria.

    He said :” For example, when Arik Air wanted to fly from Abuja to London, the airport management in London, the British Airports Authority (BAA) insisted the Nigerian airline should pay for slot amounting £250,000 (N63, 098, 225) per schedule (there are Summer, Winter, Autumn and Spring schedules) which is equivalent to quarter of a year.

    “UK and Nigeria have bilateral agreement that offered 14 frequencies to both countries, so while British Airways utilises seven frequencies between London and Lagos a week; Virgin Atlantic utilises the remaining seven frequencies between Lagos and London per week.

    “The federal government allocated only seven frequencies to Arik Air, which it is using for its Lagos to London operation. So when it wanted to operate from Abuja to London, BAA demanded the aforementioned sum of money per quarter of a year.

    So in the event Nigeria introduces slot allocation, these foreign airlines will start paying fees for the extra frequencies they operate from different airports in the country. For example, Ethiopian Airlines will be paying for slot to Enugu, Abuja and Kano, while Air France will pay for slot in Port Harcourt and Abuja; the same with Lufthansa and other airlines that operate into more than one airport in the country.

    “The difference between slot and frequencies allocated on BASA is that the latter is periodic; it could be for a quarter, for a season etc, but BASA allocated frequencies could last for over 10 years, until both countries agree to review the BASA.

    “Before now Nigeria was making about $25 million from the royalties paid on BASA annually (about N4,125,000,000), but now every country will have to migrate to slot allocation, which nullifies the old system of payment of royalties.

    Industry operators said the sale of slot allocation would multiply the earnings from royalties and could accrue to N30 billion annually.”

    Aligbe said Nigeria could be generating so much money if it had adopted the slot allocation system.

    “The critical issue in this country is that we should create slot allocation system. If we create it, the money we will make from slot will be almost 10 times the money we will be making from BASA and that is the truth. Nigeria can sell slots, they can sell it in a season, the next season they take it back. They can sell it for one year and the next year they take it back, and look for a higher bidder. This is a study by the Lloyds”, he said.

    The managing director  of Med-view Airline, Alhaji Muneer Bankole urged the federal government to establish a strong policy on how foreign airlines should be paying for slots because that is the only thing the country could benefit from them.

    “If foreign airlines want to go into every airport in the country, they will be welcomed, but Nigeria should have something in return to develop Nigeria’s airports. This is because the foreign airlines are not adding any value; they come, drop and go. They are not establishing jobs for people; they are not putting anything on the ground for Nigerians,” Bankole said .

    In his comments, Adenekan said collection of money from air agreements are outdated .

    He said introduction of slot allocation system could earn more money for the country .

    Industry analyst, Olu Fidel Ohunayo seemed not to be optimistic about slot allocation working successfully in Nigeria.

    But he believes that, if government sees it as better option, it could embrace it. Many however noted that the way the situation is, Nigeria does not seem to have many options and for it to earn money from foreign airlines, it must introduce the slot allocation option.

    He said : “I sincerely hope they have weighed their options before opting for slot allocation. Slot allocation is for congested airports and efficient use of time and space; that is not the scenario in Nigeria. The foreign airlines easily and quickly increase frequency courtesy of the Ministry of Aviation and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). How they expect slot revenue to effectively surpass and strengthen our carriers is really puzzling. Our policy, whether slot or BASA should encourage primarily the domestic airlines, while revenue should be secondary.”

  • ‘How Nigeria will gain from Category One safety rating’

    The recertification of Nigeria’s civil aviation’s safety rating by the United States Federal Aviation Administration ( US FAA), would increase investment opportunities in the country , the acting Director-General, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Benedict Adeyileka has said .

    Adeyileka, who said the safety rating would also open another window for indigenous carriers to be designated to fly into multiple points in the United States of America.

    He said the category one safety rating will now restore more confidence of air safety in Nigeria, because all the identified deficiencies pointed out by the team of experts from the US FAA have been corrected .

    Adeyileka said the NCAA has begun a continuous self regulation mechanism to enhance its regulations in line with global standards.

    The  NCAA, he  said  despite the retention of the United States Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, Category One Status  would not rest on its oars.

    Rather, the authority he said will continue to train and retrain its staff in order to sustain the professionalism that is already in existence in the authority.

    Adeyileka said NCAA has indicated its readiness for the International Civil Aviation Organisation(ICAO) audit,  assuring that unlike the FAA audit where it requested for an extension in order to put all the necessary measures in place, it will not request for such for the ICAO audit.

    Adeyileka noted that with the retention of the status, which the country attained in August 2010, both local and foreign investors would now have broader confidence on Nigeria while foreign airline operators would continue to fly into the country with more confidence.

    He said that the retention of the status had further revealed that safety and comfort are already entrenched in the country’s civil aviation industry.

    The retention of the status would further lead to low insurance premium for the country’s carriers, continuous direct flights, more competition and convenience to the passengers.

    He said, “Today, we are very happy for how far we have gone. I commend the cooperation of all stakeholders including all the agencies in the sector as everybody ensured that we came out successfully in this audit.

  • Fears as dearth of emergency rescue personnel hits FAAN

    Fears as dearth of emergency rescue personnel hits FAAN

    With a deficit of about 900 aerodrome rescue and fire fighting  personnel at airports  across the country, experts say response time to airport and aircraft emergencies is in danger. They have urged the Federal Government  to address the manpower deficit, KELVIN OSA-OKUNBOR reports.

    There are fears that inadequate manpower in the aviation sector may begin to take its toll on safety and security.

    Though the government has taken steps to fix the infrastructural challenge in the sector, experts say the neglect of  personnel  shortage in the Aerodrome Rescue and Fire Fighting Service (ARFFS), a department in the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), is dangerous, considering the history of the sector less than a decade ago.

    According to investigations, the ARFFS in FAAN has 600 workers  as opposed to the 1,500 prescribed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation ( ICAO).

    The shortfall of 900 workers in the critical  department is generating concerns in the industry.

    Worried over the development, the Nigerian Aviation Fire and Safety Association (NAFSA) has written a letter to the Managing Director of FAAN, Donuma Saleh  warning about the dangers the development portends to the aviation industry.

    In the letter signed by its President, Comrade Lewis Ojeifo, NAFSA lamented that each airport in the country has a minimum of personnel prescribed by ICAO, adding that the manpower shortage was partly due to retirement of the agency’s aged workforce.

    The letter reads: ”We hereby appeal to you to address the constraints faced by firemen in the discharge of their duties . Airports are categorised in accordance with rules and regulations set by the  ICAO.

    “To this end, each airport has a minimum number of fire crash tenders, minimum number of staff which needs to be trained to attain competence.

    “There is shortage of manpower as a result of retirement that swept off a whole generation of fire fighters including experienced and competent pump operators.

    “Other set of firemen withdrew from the service of the authority voluntarily following the announcement that Pension  Reform Act would come into effect this year.

    “Another set of fire fighting officers resigned from FAAN in large numbers in pursuit of greener pastures to foreign countries. In the last two years, our number has plummeted from about 900 to a little about 600. The number is still dropping.”

    The association, however, proposed short term solution to the problem. One is the engagement of contract workers to augment the shortfall in personnel.

    In the long term, the group canvassed the implementation of a training programme to upgrade the competence of personnel in addition to employing adequate number of qualified and skilled personnel to perform all critical activities for aerodrome operations.

    Saleh also said FAAN is worried about the development and would in the next couple of months, commence the recruitment of qualified personnel into the department.

    According to him, FAAN requires at least 1,500 personnel in the fire and safety department. He said the shortage of personnel in fire fighting and safety is affecting operations at some airports.

    He said the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), which is rated a category 9 airport by ICAO, requires a minimum of 160 fire fighting personnel, lamenting that what is on ground is far below the recommendation of the global aviation sector regulator.

    Saleh said:  “Inadequate fire fighting personnel is a big challenge for us. We are tackling the problem. We are trying to recruit more people into the fire and safety department.

    “We are also trying to bring back some of our retirees to improve the department because even if we recruit today,  the people will be trained  to meet up with the expected standards .”

    Some experts in the industry have canvassed the setting up of a training centre for fire fighting personnel.

    Technical Adviser to the managing director of FAAN, Mr John Ezenwankwo  said Nigeria should establish a training facility for fire fighters and stop going to Cameroon for training, describing it as an embarrassment to Nigeria. He said the country should establish a rig and simulator, adding that each of the fire tenders must have at least five firefighters on duty at every shift.

    He said no aerodrome operator shall permit a person to act and no person should act as an aircraft fire fighter at an aerodrome unless such person has within the previous 12 months, successfully completed the training specified in the this section.

    He said in the provision of fire fighting equipment, Ezenwankwo said although ICAO has its minimum recommendation of fire fighting vehicles that should be provided in an airport, there is no maximum to the number. He advised that Nigeria should have its own minimum in the sense that if  ICAO  stipulated four firef ighting vehicles, Nigeria could double that as its minimum. This he said would enable the airports to tackle any kind of emergency.

    “We must establish our own minimum. ICAO has minimum recommendation but there is no limit to maximum. “Nigerian should establish its minimum. We should spend our money on areas that matter. We should establish minimum in terms of equipment and personnel,” Ezenwankwo said.

    An expert, who pleaded not to be named listed challenges which fire fighters face in the country to include inadequate personnel, inadequate equipment, inadequate rescue centre, indecent working environment and inadequate training.

    In the last three years , he said attention has been paid to fire fighting through recruitment of personnel, provision of equipment of fire fighting vehicles. According to him, the World Bank even supported Nigeria in the procurement of fire tenders and building of perimeter fencing. He said the gesture of the World Bank underscored the importance it attached to airport security.

    About five years ago, fire fighters had warned that they could not guarantee the ability of the department to successfully carry out rescue operation at any of the nation’s airports due to poor equipment and called on government to take urgent action and avert imminent danger by putting an end to this nagging problem.

    In response to the clamour of the workers, FAAN procured 20 fire tenders with the support of the World  Bank and carried out massive recruitment. This has given a boost to the department, but this is not enough because some airports do not have adequate fire cover.

    Industry experts have called on FAAN to reactivate fire hydrantswhere water is stored for the fire tenders and this should be made operational for 24 hours.

    About three years ago, officials of ARFSS alleged that the department had become a dumping ground for unfit people recruited through the recommendation of top politicians in the National Assembly and highly placed public servants. The officials said the department needed young, strong energetic personnel who could take up the strenuous job of fighting fire.

    The General Manager in charge of  ARFFS, Peter Onyeri said that between 2011 and 2013, a lot of fire tenders and equipment  have been supplied.

    Onyeri said: “Reports from audits conducted into the ARFFS  in the last one year showed a remarkable improvement in our level of compliance with regulatory requirements. There is no doubt that a lot still needs to be done but statistics show that we are on upward swing.

    Spokesman of FAAN, Mr Yakubu Dati , said the authority is working hard to ensure that all the airports in the country meet  ICAO requirements.

    He said: “Between 2012 and 2013, the number of serviceable fire hydrant systems at our airports has been increased from two to seven, with work in progress at 11 more hydrant systems, while all the airports have received additional modern fire tenders. New firemen have also been recruited, trained and redeployed to airports, according to their manpower needs, in line with ICAO recommendations”.

  • Expert alleges local content abuse by foreign airlines

    FOREIGN airlines have been accused of abusing the rights of its Nigerian employees in gross violation of guidelines on Local Content of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and bilateral air services agreements the country signed.

    Head of Strategy at Zenith Travels Limited, Olumide Ohunayo,  said the  maltreatment by Air France/KLM of its workers that embarked on a warning strike to agitate for improved working condition is illegal.

    He said rather than address the workers’ demand for improved welfare, the management of the airline  hired temporary workers to replace them.

    The airline has declined comments on the matter.

    But the NCAA said it would continue to protect the interests of Nigerians.

    An official of the authority said foreign airlines must comply with all requirements guiding their operations in the country.

    Ohunayo urged the NCAA to call the airline to order.

    He said: ”The foreign airlines operating into Nigeria need to brace  up and correct glaring anomalies noticed in the treatment of Nigerians working with them and the sanctity of their operational guidelines regarding the Nigerian content as stated in documents submitted to NCAA and the bilateral air services agreement (BASA) signed by our respective countries.

    “Workers of Air France/KLM in Nigeria embarked on a warning strike to drive home their agitation for better working conditions and improvement of salaries, under the leadership of NUATE.

    “The management response was simply distasteful. Rather than negotiate since it was a warning strike, they tried to break the strike by hiring temporary charlatans to run the system at a considerable security risk to the system, airport and nation at large while also using all intimidating tactics to subdue the workers.

    ‘’Rather than addressing the issue,  they negotiated and prepared their customers for the strike by cancelling flights, offering refund or allowing change of travel plans without penalty.’’

  • How to keep airlines afloat, by experts

    How to keep airlines afloat, by experts

    Many domestic airlines are going through hard times, owing salaries for months, among other problems. If not addressed, this ugly trend, experts warn, could have ripple effects on safety. KELVIN OSA-OKUNBOR reports.

    THAT these are difficult times for  domestic carriers, is an understatement. Many of them are on the throes of death. Even paying salaries regularly, is a challenge.

    Apart from this, they are indebted aviation services’providers and terminal operators, as well as fuel and catering  suppliers.

    Unpaid and delayed salaries have become major feature among airlines, raising concerns on the implication of this on air safety.

    The real issue is that most of the airlines are unable to recover operating costs.

    This has been attributed to high cost of aircraft maintenance, insurance, fuel, landing and parking fees, among others.

    Some experts have projected that  soon, some domestic operators may close shop over the huge indebtednes.

    The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), it was learnt, was having a parley with the affected operatorss.

    The operators have declined comments on the matter.

    Experts, including former chairman of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Dr  Steve Manhonwu; a former director of engineering Nigeria Airways Limited, Godwin Jibodu, and an aircraft engineer,  Alex Anene,  have described the situation as frightening.

    They adduced poor planning, failure to carry out feasibility studies, wrong use of aircraft as part of the reasons   airlines’revenue are dwindling.

    They said failure by some operators to carry out detailed studies before embarking on the business accounted for their inability to pay salaries.

    Domestic operators include: Arik Air, First Nation Airways, Dana Air, AZMAN Air, Medview Airlines, Overland Airways, Discovery Air, Air Peace, Topbrass Aviation and  Aero Airlines.

    Operators that have suspended operations include: Chanchangi Airlines, IRS Airlines and Afrijet Airlines.

    Staff of some of these carriers last years protested to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA) the  failure of their management to clear the arrears of salaries.

    Worried over this trend, NCAA has warned operators to fulfil their obligation to their staff.

    The authority said it would continue to carry out financial audit of airlines to ascertain their operational health, safety, security and above all economic viability.

    The authority said it would be forced to shut the operations of the affected carriers.

    Its acting director general, Engineer Benedict Adeyileka said the authority is constrained to take this step to save the industry a lot of damage.

    The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA)  last week warned domestic operators defaulting in the payment of salaries.

    This was a fallout of a meeting with operators alleged to be culpable.

    At the meeting, Adeyileka expressed serious concern over the non – payment of salaries.

    He said the development was detrimental to the growth the industry.

    According to the him, the action became necessary when consistently the financial health reports from the airlines were indicating gaps in financial stability.

    He said: “As far as the NCAA is concerned, the issue of non-payment of  salaries is critical to safety.

    “The moment an airline cannot meet its financial obligations, it is believed that the staff morale will be down and this can impact negatively on safety and security of its operations.

    “The  NCAA will not condone a situation where their staff will disrupt operations which will affect the travel plans of passengers who have purchased their tickets.”

    Consequently, NCAA has written a warning letter to the affected airlines, informing them that non-payment of  salaries was unacceptable.

    NCAA warned airlines that if the act persisted, it would sanction them, one of which may result in suspension of Air Operators Certificate (AOC).

    Last year, three airlines suspended  operations due to their inability to pay  salaries. In fact, NCAA is insisting that until all the arrears of salaries are paid these airlines will not be cleared for further operations.

    It said: “The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) therefore wishes to reiterate that it will continue carrying out financial health audit of airlines to ensure that our airline operations are healthy, safe and secure.”

    Also Jibodu said: “I have said this many times that the problem of owing workers salary may linger for some time because many operators embark on airline business without carrying out detailed studies on the viability and otherwise of the business.

    “Such operators did not examine the market deeply. They did not carry out feasibility studies and operating costs.

    ‘’Such operators never factored into their plan the cost of aircraft spares, aviation fuel, catering, aeronautical charges to be paid to service providers, aircraft insurance and workers salaries.

    “They  just plunge into the business, convinced that the revenue from ticket sales is good profit without considering other operating costs.

    ‘’Some of them also make the make the mistake of buying the wrong aircraft type that is not suitable for their their operations.

    He continued: “An aircraft that is relatively old would require huge amount of money for spares and maintenance;  all these eat up into the cost of operations, thereby narrowing profit margins.

    ‘’With this kind of scenario, it would be difficult to run profitable and pay  salaries.

    “Some operators also make the mistake of employing too many staff, opening up many offices and flying on unviable routes with an aircraft type that would consume all the expected revenue owing to cost of aviation fuel and maintenance .

    ‘’It this poor planning that makes airline business unprofitable, resulting in inability to pay salaries.

    “Most of them fail to carry out adequate feasibility on the business.

    ‘’Many of them buy any kind of aircraft, and would not match it with the suitability of the operations.

    ‘’The maintainability of the aircraft should be given serious consideration by any operator before buying the aircraft.

    ‘’Often times , the cost of aircraft is very critical.

    ‘’Most of them embark on unviable operations.

    “The second challenge Is the challenge of offshore maintenance of aircraft?

    ‘’The whole money earned in a year is put into major aircraft maintenance checks.

    ‘’That is why many airlines that took their aircraft for major checks are seized  abroad ,because the operators could not pay for the checks.”

    Also, Manhonwu said: ”The problem of salaries should be addressed airline by airline. It is a serious problem that should be addressed, even the so called big airlines are owing salaries.

    ‘’This is not good for the safety of airline operations.

    ‘’The NCAA should step up its oversight and ensure that airlines are solvent to keep their operations safe.

    ‘’Even, if an airline is having problems, its managers should look for a way around the issue of owing salaries.”

    Anene  added: ”I lost my job as the chief engineer of a domestic airline because I offered advice on the quality of aircraft the airline should buy to run a profitable operation.

    ‘’Most airlines do not do their home work. That is why many of them cannot pay staff salaries. You cannot do aviation without money.”

  • 21 air traffic controllers graduate at NCAT

    Twenty-one Cadet Air Traffic Controllers have graduated from the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, (NCAT), Zaria in Kaduna State.

    Speaking at the graduation, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Ibrahim Abdulsalam, urged the students  to  justify the investments in their training by  being committed and dedicated to duty, in the interest of safety of the airspace.

    Abdulsalam noted that as part of the transformation of the sector, resulting in the remodelling of airports and the deployment of sophisticated communication, navigation, surveillance  and air traffic management infrastructure among others, across the country, NAMA is investing on the training and retraining of personnel, particularly the critical manpower resources to ensure the safe, effective, economic and efficient use of these equipment and to keep pace with the dynamics of new technology.

    NAMA boss said: ”The increasing demand for air traffic services over the years, occasioned by the rapid growth in population and the establishment of state and privately owned airports nationwide vis a vis the high turnover of critical manpower arising from retirements and deaths prompted the agency to resort to contracting retired Air Traffic Controllers and Air Traffic Engineers as a short-term remedy.”

    He assured that with efforts at training young ATC cadets, the challenge would soon be tackled.

    He praised the graduates for their perseverance and hard work. He also gave kudos to the management of NCAT for the tremendous support and co-operation accorded the students during their stay.

    The Rector of NCAT, Capt. Samuel Caulcrick, pointed out that the high academic standard and rigorous training offered by the institution makes it stand out as a centre of excellence and one of the best in the world.

    He urged the graduating students to be worthy ambassadors of NCAT by impacting positively to the growth of the nation’s aviation industry.

    In its determination to bridge the manpower gap in ATC services, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency in 2012 recruited 50 ATC Cadets with batch AC 57 and 58 resuming at NCAT in February, last  year while AC59 resumed in July, same year.

    Earlier, the Managing Director of NAMA,  Abdulsalam, accompanied by a top management delegation, including the Director of Human Resources, Dr Uwem Akangson and the Acting Director of Operations, Mr Edward Ogedegbe, toured facilities at the institution.

    Places visited include the Area Airways Department, General ATS Department (which boasts of a 3D 360 Visual Tower Simulator for aerodrome control training), Flight Line and Hanger as well as the Flying School.

  • How to keep airlines afloat, by experts

    Many domestic airlines are going through hard times,  owing salaries for months, among other problems. If not addressed, this ugly trend, experts warn, could have ripple effects on safety. KELVIN OSA-OKUNBOR reports.

    THAT these are difficult times for  domestic carriers, is an understatement. Many of them are on the throes of death. Even paying salaries regularly, is a challenge.

    Apart from this, they are indebted aviation services’providers and terminal operators, as well as fuel and catering  suppliers.

    Unpaid and delayed salaries have become major feature among airlines, raising concerns on the implication of this on air safety.

    The real issue is that most of the airlines are unable to recover operating costs.

    This has been attributed to high cost of aircraft maintenance, insurance, fuel, landing and parking fees, among others.

    Some experts have projected that  soon, some domestic operators may close shop over the huge indebtednes.

    The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), it was learnt, was having a parley with the affected operatorss.

    The operators have declined comments on the matter.

    Experts, including former chairman of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Dr  Steve Manhonwu; a former director of engineering Nigeria Airways Limited, Godwin Jibodu, and an aircraft engineer,  Alex Anene,  have described the situation as frightening.

    They adduced poor planning, failure to carry out feasibility studies, wrong use of aircraft as part of the reasons   airlines’revenue are dwindling.

    They said failure by some operators to carry out detailed studies before embarking on the business accounted for their inability to pay salaries.

    Domestic operators include: Arik Air, First Nation Airways, Dana Air, AZMAN Air, Medview Airlines, Overland Airways, Discovery Air, Air Peace, Topbrass Aviation and  Aero Airlines.

    Operators that have suspended operations include: Chanchangi Airlines, IRS Airlines and Afrijet Airlines.

    Staff of some of these carriers last years protested to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA) the  failure of their management to clear the arrears of salaries.

    Worried over this trend, NCAA has warned operators to fulfil their obligation to their staff.

    The authority said it would continue to carry out financial audit of airlines to ascertain their operational health, safety, security and above all economic viability.

    The authority said it would be forced to shut the operations of the affected carriers.

    Its acting director general, Engineer Benedict Adeyileka said the authority is constrained to take this step to save the industry a lot of damage.

    The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA)  last week warned domestic operators defaulting in the payment of salaries.

    This was a fallout of a meeting with operators alleged to be culpable.

    At the meeting, Adeyileka expressed serious concern over the non – payment of salaries.

    He said the development was detrimental to the growth the industry.

    According to the him, the action became necessary when consistently the financial health reports from the airlines were indicating gaps in financial stability.

    He said: “As far as the NCAA is concerned, the issue of non-payment of  salaries is critical to safety.

    “The moment an airline cannot meet its financial obligations, it is believed that the staff morale will be down and this can impact negatively on safety and security of its operations.

    “The  NCAA will not condone a situation where their staff will disrupt operations which will affect the travel plans of passengers who have purchased their tickets.”

    Consequently, NCAA has written a warning letter to the affected airlines, informing them that non-payment of  salaries was unacceptable.

    NCAA warned airlines that if the act persisted, it would sanction them, one of which may result in suspension of Air Operators Certificate (AOC).

    Last year, three airlines suspended  operations due to their inability to pay  salaries. In fact, NCAA is insisting that until all the arrears of salaries are paid these airlines will not be cleared for further operations.

    It said: “The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) therefore wishes to reiterate that it will continue carrying out financial health audit of airlines to ensure that our airline operations are healthy, safe and secure.”

    Also Jibodu said: “I have said this many times that the problem of owing workers salary may linger for some time because many operators embark on airline business without carrying out detailed studies on the viability and otherwise of the business.

    “Such operators did not examine the market deeply. They did not carry out feasibility studies and operating costs.

    ‘’Such operators never factored into their plan the cost of aircraft spares, aviation fuel, catering, aeronautical charges to be paid to service providers, aircraft insurance and workers salaries.

    “They  just plunge into the business, convinced that the revenue from ticket sales is good profit without considering other operating costs.

    ‘’Some of them also make the make the mistake of buying the wrong aircraft type that is not suitable for their their operations.

    He continued: “An aircraft that is relatively old would require huge amount of money for spares and maintenance;  all these eat up into the cost of operations, thereby narrowing profit margins.

    ‘’With this kind of scenario, it would be difficult to run profitable and pay  salaries.

    “Some operators also make the mistake of employing too many staff, opening up many offices and flying on unviable routes with an aircraft type that would consume all the expected revenue owing to cost of aviation fuel and maintenance .

    ‘’It this poor planning that makes airline business unprofitable, resulting in inability to pay salaries.

    “Most of them fail to carry out adequate feasibility on the business.

    ‘’Many of them buy any kind of aircraft, and would not match it with the suitability of the operations.

    ‘’The maintainability of the aircraft should be given serious consideration by any operator before buying the aircraft.

    ‘’Often times , the cost of aircraft is very critical.

    ‘’Most of them embark on unviable operations.

    “The second challenge Is the challenge of offshore maintenance of aircraft?

    ‘’The whole money earned in a year is put into major aircraft maintenance checks.

    ‘’That is why many airlines that took their aircraft for major checks are seized  abroad ,because the operators could not pay for the checks.”

    Also, Manhonwu said: ”The problem of salaries should be addressed airline by airline. It is a serious problem that should be addressed, even the so called big airlines are owing salaries.

    ‘’This is not good for the safety of airline operations.

    ‘’The NCAA should step up its oversight and ensure that airlines are solvent to keep their operations safe.

    ‘’Even, if an airline is having problems, its managers should look for a way around the issue of owing salaries.”

    Anene  added: ”I lost my job as the chief engineer of a domestic airline because I offered advice on the quality of aircraft the airline should buy to run a profitable operation.

    ‘’Most airlines do not do their home work. That is why many of them cannot pay staff salaries. You cannot do aviation without money.”