Flight crew, including pilots, cabin attendants, air traffic controllers and other professionals, are agitating for an increase in remuneration. Their agitation sometimes causes industrial disharmony in some airlines and, by extension, unease in the aviation sector. Failure by some rotary wing operators to buckle under such agitation is said to have led to loss of logistics contract from oil and gas companies, Aviation Correspondent KELVIN OSA OKUNBOR reports.
Sustained agitation for a pay rise by flight crew in the employ of fixed and rotary wing operators is causing discontent in the aviation industry. Pilots, cabin flight attendants, air traffic controllers, aircraft engineers and other professionals are said to be among the army of personnel in the sector agitating for an increase in their remuneration.
The agitation, The Nation learnt, has continued to pitch the management of airlines against some indigenous pilots in some helicopter companies.
Already, there are fears that such agitation may lead to loss of contract for logistic services from International Oil Companies (IOCs) that engage helicopter companies to ferry their workers to onshore and offshore platforms.
While fixed wing operators are companies that utilise jet airplanes, rotary wing operators are companies that lift helicopters. The Nation learnt that although, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is responsible for the economic and safety oversight of the sector, it does not determine the remuneration of air crew.
Besides pilots, other professionals including flight engineers, flight dispatchers, flight instructors, ground instructors, air traffic safety electronics personnel and flight radio telephone operators fall under the oversight purview of the aviation industry regulator, NCAA.
Consequently, its Director General, Captain Mukthar Usman, said the authority had stepped up its oversight on airlines to ensure they live up to their obligations to their personnel. But this has not doused the tension over flight crew remuneration.
Statistics from the NCAA show that there are over 554 pilots with valid Nigerian licence. Data from the regulator also indicate that there are over 913 licensed aircraft engineers with Nigerian licence, while there are hundreds of cabin flight attendants.
These professionals work in both private, chartered and scheduled airlines including Arik Air, Aero Contractors, Air Peace, Overland Airways, Dana Air, Azman Air, Medview Airlines, and First Nation Airways.
Also, there are several rotary wing operators, otherwise known as helicopter companies, including Caverton Helicopters, Aero Helicopters, OAS Helicopters, Pan African Helicopters, Bristow Helicopters, Genesis Aviation, and the newest operator, Tropical Arctic Logistic Limited.
These companies, The Nation learnt from reliable industry sources, have continued to be targets of intense agitation over rise in salaries by their indigenous pilots and other aviation professionals.
Criteria for pilots’ remuneration
Though there is no rule that governs or determines what pilots and cabin flight attendants earn, investigations by The Nation reveal that pilots’ pay is determined by their type rating. Type rating in aviation parlance is a specific training on proficiency in flying a particular aircraft type.
Besides type rating, years of flying experience plays a huge role in the salaries of airline pilots. This is in addition to flying hours, size and status of the airline, as well as the rank of the pilot in the airline.
However, chief pilots collect a huge chunk as salary. Besides being higher in rank, many chief pilots possess higher flying hours as opposed to their subordinates, often referred to as flight officers.
Investigations reveal that many expatriate pilots earn more salary than indigenous pilots for obvious reasons that they are explored as foreign professionals. Their expatriate status gives them the edge. Their salary is denominated in United States dollars.
However, investigations by The Nation reveal that some Nigerian pilots working in some helicopter companies are irked over the disparity in salary and are now agitating to be paid in foreign currency using the parallel market rate.
Experts say agitation for salaries by pilots in foreign currencies at prevailing parallel market otherwise known as ‘ black market ‘ is not only unpatriotic, but also at variance with the terms of engagement by extant Nigerian laws.
This development, a source said, is creating unease in some helicopter companies, which may likely impact negatively on their operations.
Challenge of indigenous pilots
Despite the clamour for local content implementation in the recruitment of pilots and aircraft engineers in the sector, investigations reveal that many airlines are not favourably disposed to engaging young Nigerian pilots because they do not possess sufficient flying hours after graduation from the aviation college.
Confirming this position, the Chief Executive Officer, Aero Contractors, Captain Ado Sanusi, recently said Nigerian airlines employ seasoned or expatriate pilots for many reasons. Besides their reliability, he said young Nigerian pilots don’t often stay with the airline that trained them long enough to justify the resources expended on their training.
Global template for pilots’ remuneration
Though there are no fixed salaries for pilots globally, investigations reveal that those who fly jets, whether for private, chartered or scheduled airline earn less than their counterparts in helicopter services.
Global trends suggest that many who set out as fixed wing pilots after many years of flight convert into helicopter operations, otherwise known as rotary wing flights.
Investigations also reveal that many airlines across the globe denominate the salaries of their pilots in United Stated dollars; the trend is slow in manifesting in Nigeria
Significantly, pilots in oil and gas companies including those with aircraft jets and helicopters in their fleet earn between $10, 000 and $25, 000 per month.
This amount converted at an official exchange rate of N305.00 to one dollar approximates between N3, 000.000 and N7, 000.000.
Investigations, however, reveal that pilots in companies engaged in courier services such as DHL Aviation earn less.
Nigerian experience
Though there are more commercial scheduled and chartered operators in Nigeria, pilots that fly with the few helicopter companies earn more salaries.
A source told The Nation that an entry level pilot with a commercial pilots’ licence from the NCAA earns between N200, 000 and N550, 000, depending on the airline he flies for, his job description and contract of engagement.
But as the pilot gains experience through flight hours to become a first officer, his remuneration increases.
Findings reveal that the salary of first officers in Nigerian airlines range from N300, 000 to N800, 000, depending on airline choice, flying hours after scaling hurdles associated with type rating.
But, it is a different experience for experienced pilots, otherwise known as captains, who take authority during flights.
Captains, investigations reveal, earn between N500, 000 and N1, 500, 000 per month excluding bonuses as determined by individual airline.
Bristow Helicopters’ experience
Arguably one of the highest paying carriers, Bristow Helicopters offers its first officers’ pilots over N20 million per annum excluding flight allowances, whereas the airline offers its captains between N30 million and N40 million per annum as salary excluding flight allowances.
Bristow Helicopters offers its aircraft engineers between N20 million and N30 million per annum. But not all carriers are fortunate to pay their pilots and engineer such salary package.
Perspectives by industry experts
Speaking in an interview, an air safety and aviation consultant, Sheri Ibrahim, said pilots and other professionals earn that much because they work in the most regulated and certificated sector. According to him, there are lots of regulation in the industry and lots of certification needed to become an active officer.
Another expert, a pilot, Captain Mike Kale, said: “Relatively, a fixed-wing pilot earns less than a rotary-wing pilot for helicopters.
He or she may start with N250, 000, which is relatively low.
“However, as a fixed wing pilot builds his or her flying hours and
progress from mere First Officer (FO) to Senior First Officer (SFO),
then to Captain, he starts earning slightly over $3,000 to $8,500,
depending on what client his company is flying for and his type
ratings”
He said fixed wing offers are the shortest route to becoming a captain with less earnings, the reverse is the case for rotary wings.
“It is, therefore, advisable for those that are about 30 years to start with fixed wings, and when they become a captain, convert to rotary wings,” Kale said.
He pointed out that in Nigeria, at the moment, helicopter pilots flying for Shell earn more than their counterparts, but they would need an AW139 rating.
He also said airline pilots abroad could earn up to $10, 000 to $25, 000 monthly. “This will amount to about N3.7 million, assuming the exchange rate is pegged at N350 to a dollar.
Concerns for the sector
A pilot cum aviation consultant, Captain John Dung, said it would amount to an illegality for local pilots in some helicopter companies to impress it on their employers that they be paid in dollars at prevailing black market rate.
He said such unpatriotic act where pilots working in indigenous helicopter-companies should seek salaries not only in foreign currency but in black market rate was regrettable.
Such agitation, he said, is not only unpopular, but has failed in other industries.
He said: “Pilots should exercise discretion in their agitation so that employers in the airline sector are not pushed to the wall to consider right-sizing their workforce, which may have ripple effects of job losses. The aviation sector cannot afford another aggravating episode of pilots unemployment in the critical sector.
“Pilots should see themselves as more privileged professionals in corporate Nigeria and I do not think they should engage in agitation and ridiculous demands at a time other workers under the umbrella of the Nigeria Labour Congress are clamouring for wage increase.
“The danger in all of these is that if Nigerian pilots fail to see reason with their employers, they may be compelled to look elsewhere for alternative.”
Intervention by pilots’ association
Though professional group such as NAAPE has continued to clamour for abolition of expatriate quota in the aviation sector and enhanced remuneration for indigenous pilots, the development is however, sending dangerous signals about industrial disharmony in the sector.
This development may have propelled its National President, Abednego Galadima, to close ranks with owners of airlines and helicopter companies on ways to resolve frequent altercations with pilots and aircraft engineers on disparity on their pay package.
Investigations by The Nation reveal that lingering agitation over salary disparity between indigenous and expatriate pilots could be misinterpreted by clients including international oil companies, which engage helicopter companies for offshore and onshore logistics shuttles.
Existing helicopter companies, a source hinted, have lost millions of dollars as contract to oil and gas and related companies.
Galadima said the pilots’ body will be favourably disposed to any proposal that would keep more professionals engaged rather than altercations that would lead to job loss due to loss of contract.
Attempts to get the reactions of affected helicopter companies including Aero Contractors, Tropical Arctic Logistics Limited, Caverton, Pana Africa, Genesis Aviation and Bristow proved abortive.
