Managing Director, Green Africa Airways, Babawande Afolabi has canvassed the inclusion of development finance institutions (DFIs), commercial banks, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), community, faith-based organisations and other multi-lateral institutions in sourcing funds for the training of technical personnel in the aviation sector.
Afolabi said the involvement of such organisations in securing funding for the training of aircraft pilots, engineers, cabin crew, flight dispatchers and other professionals has become imperative because of the huge amount required to see their training through.
Investigations show that it costs over $40,000 to train someone, who is expected to gather over 4,000 hours of flying before becoming a captain.
It costs about $20,000 to train an aircraft technician who is expected to gather experience for three years working on aircraft to become an engineer.
Investigations also show that it costs about $10,000 to train a flight dispatcher.
In an interview, the owner of Nigeria’s value carrier said funds at the disposal of the low cost airline cannot offset the training of over 500 technical personnel required to consolidate its operations in the next one decade.
Afolabi said the airline has to tinker with funding options, including reaching out to financial institutions, to consider engaging in supporting capacity building for the aviation industry to enable Green Africa Airways achieve its mark of securing training and certification for over 1,445 technical personnel in the next 10 years.
Describing competent personnel as valuable assets in the air travel mix, Afolabi said the aviation industry must constantly review training and retraining of its technical personnel because of the technology needs of the industry.
For an industry that is constantly evolving, Afolabi said the carrier has launched the “gFuture initiative ‘, to create a pool of highly skilled personnel that will drive the growth of the sector.
Unveiling the package , he said in the next one decade, the company would have produced over 200 pilots, 145 flight dispatchers, 500 cabin crew, 100 aircraft engineers and about 500 other professionals for the sector.
He said part of the plans is to sponsor pilots for training on type-rating in order to help young professionals who are unable to get jobs.
Afolabi said : “ There is a serious need to upscale talents in the Nigerian aviation industry. But, to achieve this , there is a need for consolidation for funding. The funding options and models have to change to enable us to get to mark. Part of it is to engage financial institutions in some form of discussions on how to provide funds for the training of technical aviation personnel including pilots. And this could be amortized over time. Once the banks see prospects in such a project, they will give it serious consideration.
‘’We plan to send four young pilots to the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) in Zaria every months, we want to infuse a new generation young vibrant Africans into the system, we are very keen on this, we recognize that there is a gap and we are ready to contribute our quota to filling it, eight young officers will start in NCAT by March 9, they will be through with type-rating afterwards.
‘’There is poaching and there is shortage of professionals but the more people we train, the better for our company and the sector, the fear of poaching should not stop the vision, I have been there before, the regulator also has a role to play, above all, Nigeria has a leading role to play in Africa aviation’’, he added.
Speaking on the development, industry expert and President Aircraft Owners Association of Nigeria , Dr Alex Nwuba said as much as the training of technical personnel is important, there is need to absorb qualified professionals into the sector before adding fresh hands.
He said : “ Whatever Green Africa is proposing in terms of training of professionals is ideal with good intentions always projecting forward; there is however no future without a past. It helps to understand the current situation to prepare for the future.
“Training 200 new pilots in a market where over 400 pilots according to AON are unemployed and have no path into the industry is not the solution, neither is attracting young men and women to cabin crew training.
“ We must look into absorbing the available capacity and growing the sector to contribute its potential to the economy, not expanding the problem.”