Category: Aviation

For aviation industry to experience exponential growth, government must take urgent steps to address challenges at airports associated with poor cooling systems, uncontrolled movements, lack  of capacity to curb touting and crowding, inadequate infrastructure, lack of cooperation among airlines with the regulators as well as dearth of logistic facilities.

A report put together by stakeholders under the aegis of Airport Business Summit said until government takes bold steps to fix these  challenges, the push for the growth of the industry would not be achieved.

The report stated that its study of the industry in the last three years confirmed that airports development remains key in addressing population growth, managing urban drift as well as serving as an enabler for economic growth.

The Aviation Business Summit Report observed that though airports play critical role in the development chain, it could only achieve that goal if there is available and reliable air connectivity to facilitate movement of people and services.

Reliable air connectivity , the report said, would reduce the tendency of permanent migration to already congested cities.

The report identified lack of investors’ interest in airports and attendant lack of funding as part of major operational challenges that hinder airports from playing its critical role.

Other factors militating against the growth of the industry, the report stated, include “Inability  of stakeholders to formulate right strategy to move the aviation sector forward;  low passenger traffic; lack of co-ordination among sister agencies at the airports; lack of adequate aircraft maintenance hangars; lack of well-trained work force; poor time management and poor airport management services.”

The report canvassed stakeholders’ involvement, training and manpower development, strong political will, to back up  policies as part of efforts to strengthen the sector.

It also called on government to consider putting in place facilities for  transit passengers, noting that this would boost  connectivity on major routes. It also said autonomy for the Federal Airports Authority (FAAN) with adequate funding could change the airport management narrative.

The report noted that airport business growth in Nigeria is relatively slow because of hiccups in the operating environment. It said: “The climate in Nigeria is harsh for businesses to thrive for airports  because  there are multiple charges by FAAN, which complicate the business activities of concessionaires.

“Many service providers lack quality customer service relationship. There is  poor planning, policy somersault  and unhealthy bureaucracy that hinder development. There is lack of transparency in airport management, poor communication mechanism between landlord and concessionaires.

“The business environment in Nigeria especially the airports should be made conducive enough for businesses to thrive. Good reward system as incentives to encourage hard work on the part of the operators of the airports.

“Well-tailored policy framework that would encourage investment opportunities within airport business environment.

“State of the art infrastructure should be made available. Proper planning to cater for short, medium and long term plans and implementation, continuity in government policies and provision of security amongst others.”

On security around airports, the report noted that steps should be taken to address drug planting, human trafficking, aircraft hijacking, incursion into the airside by animals or humans, stowaway, touting, extortion, theft and hawking.

It reads: “Government should consider ways and means to checkmate   criminal acts by installing  CCTV and scanning machines around the airports.

“There should be regular and proper patrol of both airside and landside  of the airports in addition to completing  perimeter fencing of all aerodromes to check incursion menace.

“Government should look at ways to assist airlines reduce flight delays and cancellations ; delay in refunds due to flight cancellations, poor handling of passenger luggage leading to damage and or loss of luggage;  dirty rest rooms ; touting and extortion prevalence, harassment by security personnel, poor cooling systems and uncomfortable airport environment ; unfriendly staff and personnel and poorly managed information desk.”

The Aeronautical Information Management Association of Nigeria (AIMAN) has lamented the non-implementation of AIS automation more than 10 years after  its conception.

In a statement, AIMAN President Mr Williams Ngerem  said the AIS automation is critical to aeronautical data globally

He said it was disheartening that since its inception, the automation had not taken off.

“Without prejudice to efforts by the Federal Government to realise this laudable dream, it is pertinent to note that Nigeria as the African giant cannot continue to lag behind when several African countries have embraced automation in aeronautical information dissemination,” he said.

He enjoined NAMA management to liaise with relevant organisations to enable the AIM  take off soonest. “I also charge the Federal Government to accelerate the implementation of the AIM project so that Nigeria can take its rightful position in the comity of nations,” he said.

Ngerem thanked the AIMAN executive council members for their hard work and determination  in the last one year.

Speaking on the forthcoming World AIS Day, he said the theme is: ‘The benefits of automation to aeronautical information management’ and that the event will be chaired by the Managing Director/Chief Executive Aero Contractors, Capt. Ado Sanusi.

AIMAN, an affiliate of the International Federation of Aeronautical Information Management Association (IFAIMA) with its members domiciled in Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and Nigerian College of Aviation technology (NCAT),   collects, processes and disseminates aeronautical information for the safety, regularity and efficiency of air navigation.

AIS was created on May 15, 1953 as an array of services for pilots and other relevant ATM communities, such as air traffic control, Air traffic engineers, aerodrome operators, military, civil aviation authority, meteorology.

The World AIS Day celebration is  observed by all contracting states in accordance with the declaration by the ICAO to facilitate better professional practices and enlightening the public on the importance of aeronautical information services as a safety critical profession in the n industry.

Providing passenger, ramp and ground handling services to airlines is difficult  because clients are reluctant to pay fully for their services, the Managing Director of Skyways Aviation Handling Company ( SAHCO) Plc , Mr Basil Agboarumi has said.

He said ground handling operators were burdened by delayed payments for services to indigenous carriers.

Besides reluctance to pay for services, Agboarumi said ground handlers were operating in an unfriendly business environment where aeronautical agencies subject them to multiple charges.

In an interview in Lagos, he said though there are a few ground handling firms, competition remains rife as some debtor carriers switch from one firm to another.

To boost the air transport sector, he said the government should grant waivers to ground handling firms for imported equipment and  spares.

He said the business had become difficult because of the huge cost of clearing such high-profile equipment.

Agboarumi listed other challenges confronting ground handlers to include huge costs of offshore training, and inadequate and obsolete airport facilities.

He said ground business could not thrive where operators delay payments for services and where there is underpayment.

Agboarumi said where ground handlers were subjected to multiple audit by international and local regulators, many businesses would suffer.

He added that the prohibitive charges by aviation agencies do not reflect the value of their services.

He accused the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) of parading inadequate infrastructure.

Agboarumi said: “We have to pay through our noses most of the time. We pay a lot to be in business; everybody is collecting. I don’t want to go into controversy, but it becomes so bad that before you can even sneeze around the airport, you must pay; everybody is squeezing. That’s is a problem; that’s is a challenge.”

He said ground handling firms, including SAHCO, were spending huge sums on overseas training of its personnel, a development that was putting huge strain on the company’s finances.

Agboarumi urged the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to engage the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to consider domestication get some training courses as the global air transport regulator was becoming a monopoly.

He said: “IATA is a monopoly; you either do it their own way or you don’t. In those days, I know they have various rates for developed and developing countries on training that need to be looked into and I think that the NCAA might need to take up this. We need the same training to give best services. There was a time you need to do the International Safety audit for Ground Operators (ISAGO).

‘’ISAGO was free, but today, you have to pay for it. You pay for everything and part of what they come to check has to do with training and so we must train and if you don’t, you are not in business, and you cannot say because you are a Nigerian company that you can just go and get training that are not certified by this same IATA.

“Up till recently, IATA introduced what is called ISAGO, and one thing ISAGO was supposed to do was to rest the issue of multiple audits, as a ground handling; yes, once in a while they just come to our company. They look at our ISADO record. They say yes, because you are ISAGO. They say okay, but I think up till today, you still see multiple audits coming. What IATA is trying to do with ISAGO is not cheap for us to do and so anytime audit comes, you just have to do your best to ensure that you don’t fail them. It is a challenge in this part of the world.”

Emphasising the place of safety, he said SAHCO will continue to work hard to train its ground and technical personnel.

He said: ”For a safe flight to be achieved, the work begins and ends on the ground.Therefore, the importance of ground handling companies in the aviation sector cannot be overemphasised.’’

He noted that though the challenges were enormous, the handling firms work hard to ensure safety on the ground before it takes off a poorly handled aircraft on the ground is a danger in the sky.”

Agboarumi, therefore, called on the government to consider tax reduction and waivers to ground handling firms as it extended to airlines. He said there was the need for FAAN to update airport facilities with the latest technology.

He emphasised cooperation between ground handling firms and other airport stakeholders, stressing that cooperation was necessary for them to succeed.

According to him, reduced training cost for developing countries would boost services, urging airlines on prompt payment of  levies and fees for handling services.

He said: “I believe that aviation  is about cooperation, across the world, cooperation is the word and if we most have the aviation that we must have. There must be cooperation so also. There must be cooperation between ground handlers and other airport stakeholders. We must cooperate; it is our aviation. It is our own and we know what it should be. We should aspire to be better than the best and if we want to be counted among the best, then we most continue to cooperate.

“Speed, efficiency and accuracy defines the operations of aviation ground handling.”