The Nation Newspaper

Tag: aviation

  • North alleges ‘lopsidedness’ in aviation appointments

    To correct the perceived lopsidedness in apointments into key aviation positions, a group the Northern Youth Coalition for Democracy has called on the Presidency and the National Assembly to examine the recruitment criteria.

    The call, the group’s National Co-ordinator, Abdulyakeen Ibn Umar claimed, followed the perceived ‘lopsidedness’ in the appointment of some personnel in some aviation agencies.

    Umar said there might be need for the government to examine recent appointments in some of the agencies, to know if the criteria used did not meet the federal character.

    He called on the Federal Government to look into the appointment of chiefs of some key aviation agencies.

    Umar said the North was marginalised in the appointments into aviation parastatals, adding that such lopsided appointments would not move the nation forward.

    He said: “Aviation needs professionals and we have those professionals in the North and I don’t know why this government wants to relegate the North in the aviation sector. In some parastatals in the aviation sector, there is nothing like a northerner in the management team. I feel it is in justice.”

    Umar said it would be unfair for the Jonathan administration to move the North out of the sector.

    He said: ‘’The bone of contention is the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). If they are talking of professionals, it should be thrown open for people to apply. There is nothing like federal character here. You must balance it so that there will be no agitation.”

    In a swift reaction the Minister of Aviation denied the allegation, saying there is no basis for such claim.

    The Minister’s Special Assistant on Media Joe Obi said there was nothing like ethnic cleansing in the sector.

    The Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria ( FAAN) is headed by Mr George Uriesi, who is from Edo State, in the Southsouth.

    The Managing Director of the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mazi Nnamdi Udoh, from Abia State, in the Southeast.

    Director-General of Nigeria Metereological Services (NIMET ), Dr Anthony Anuforum, hails from the Southeast.

    The Comissioner of Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Captain Muktar Usman, hails from the North.

    Director-General designation of, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Aviation Authority( NCAA), Captain Fola Akinkuotu, is from the Southwest.

    He is yet to be cleared by the Senate.

    Obi said qualified Nigerians no matter where they come from would be offered jobs in key positions in the industry to add value to the transformation agenda of government.

    The minister, he said, was poised to ensure that professionals from different ethnic background, who will add value to government’s vision would be engaged as key personnel in the industry.

  • Skilled manpower bane of aviation, says Senator

    What is the major challenge facing aviation? It is the dearth of skilled manpower, says Chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation, Senator Hope Uzodinma Speaking at the opening of the Constitutive Assembly of the Association of African Training Organisation (AATO) organised by the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) in Abuja, Uzodinma said this deficiency had prevented the sector from growing and gaining better global recognition despite its potential. Over the years, he said, there had been over dependence on the International Aviation Training Institute, at the expense of other African training centres. Uzodinma said: “Ours is to encourage them to ensure that the number of foreign training that has besieged the industry will be reduced. “NCAT, if given all the support it requires is in a position to train aircraft engineers, inspectors and instructors that can train others with a view to ensuring that local and international needs of the industry are obtained here locally because we have the resources. “But I think what we are lacking here is that we don’t have the manpower arrangement in sufficient numbers and if they are encouraged to intensify their efforts, we will have all we need to meet up with global expectations.” Also, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Managing Director George Uriesi has said the sector holds the key to Africa’s economic prosperity. He spoke at a meeting of the Airports Council International (ACI), African region, in Morocco. Uriesi said aviation was vital to the region’s growth. He harped on the designation of airports as regional hubs to maximise their potential, stressing that the development of cargo ports was aimed at opening up the country to benefit from its full potential as an agro-allied economy. Uriesi said: “The obstacle-removing leadership provided by our Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Stella Oduah, has repositioned the country as a serious global player ready to occupy its pride of place.” The conference, he said, fell within the framework of the initiative launched by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and Airport Council International (ACI), to promote safety. This, he said, had allowed stakeholders to contribute to the requirements of a safe and secure air transportation system. The conference, he added, was meant to sensitise participants on the importance of runway safety and the need for collaboration, among stakeholders in air transport.

  • Aviation College to acquire 10 planes

    The Kwara International Aviation College is to acquire 10 aircraft to facilitate the training of pilots, aircraft engineers and other aviation professionals, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has said.

    He said in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, that the aircraft would be bought with a loan secured by the Federal Government from the Export Import Bank. It has a moratorium of 10 years.

    He said: “This is part of the reasons we have set up an International Aviation College and, luckily, under the new EXIM loan that the Federal Government has signed with the Chinese and Indian governments and others across the world, the International Aviation College will be benefiting from the loan. It will be able to acquire at least 10 new aircraft under a 25-year loan agreement with a 10-year moratorium. It couldn’t be better than that.”

    The governor said the school would acquire the aircraft, develop economy of scale, train students, earn money and pay back the loan on its own. He said: “The 10-year- facility means that the college’s cash flow will not be under pressure. It is when you borrow money and you have to pay within a very short time that you have pressure on your cash flow. The loan was so attractive that we couldn’t resist it and it is one of the best things that ever happened to us.

    “That will enable the school to get to the much-desired full scale aviation college that we have always prayed for and will allow them to attain economy of scale where they can earn a lot of money to service the school and pay back. For now, the school is fully owned by the state but don’t forget that the state government is not in the business of running aviation.

    “So, ultimately, we will sell off 70 per cent of that business to those who know how to do it and then the school will run on its own internationally.”

    The governor explained that the aviation college was established in response to the demand for pilots globally. He said the college is positioned to serve as a training hub for Africa.

    He said: “For keen observers and those who want to truly see themselves growing among comity of nations, they must begin to learn how to do a clear analysis of opportunities. One big opportunity that exists in the aviation industry is the fact that there is dire need of pilots globally.Check any international airline, they will tell you.

    “Training pilots requires that you understand the dynamics of the business.

    “Apart from Zaria and South Africa, I don’t know where else pilots are trained in Africa.”

    He said by the time this school gets to its potential, everybody in Africa who intends to train as a pilot would know the existence of an Aviation College in Ilorin.

    “For now, we are training pilots but there are other services. There is engineering training. There are other services that are going to go into it. This would become itself a hub for driving aviation business,” he said.

  • The aviation industry in Nigeria

    The aviation industry in Nigeria

    I have just returned from a trip to the UN in New York and during one of the committee sessions on the annual budget, there was a discussion on budgetary support for UN officials travelling in West Africa. One thing that struck me was the comment of a delegate I believe from the United States who remarked that travelling in West Africa is hazardous and that flying was particularly dangerous in Nigeria. And just as we were about to reply him, there was a news flash about the helicopter crash in which the Governor of Kaduna State, Mr Ibrahim Yakowa and the Former National Security Adviser, General Andrew Azazi died. There was no need after that time to try and challenge those who felt that travelling in West Africa was hazardous.

    Since I arrived back home a few days ago, I have been reading a report by Accenture of the challenge before the aviation industry in our country. It is sometimes with trepidation that many of us travel by air within our country. When I was much younger, I used to enjoy driving long distances in Nigeria, because this is the only way to know our country. But now with the collapse of the road infrastructure, and the high incidence of highway robbery, travelling by roads is now very unattractive. This means that we must do everything to improve the safety of air travel in Nigeria as well as wholesale rehabilitation of our road network. For a country that wants to be by 2020, one of the most developed countries in the world, the aviation industry would have to play an important role. We have heard government make pronouncement about making Lagos the hub of the aviation industry in West Africa.

    This desire flows from the fact that the population of Nigeria is greater than the population of the remaining 14 countries in ECOWAS put together. The economy of Nigeria is about three times the economy of the rest of ECOWAS. If Nigeria is to realize its potentialities, we must put resources into the development of the aviation industry. I do not think starting a new national airline is the best approach. The history of the defunct Nigeria Airways should lead us into another direction. What our government should do is to assist major private airlines that have the capacity to consolidate and pull their resources together and also open credit lines to them as well as guaranteed purchase of new aircrafts. But while doing this, the present capacity of the airlines should be the deciding factor. There are only one or two airlines that meet these criteria. All the other one plane airlines should be allowed to die. It is a pity that the entrance of Virgin Atlantic into the domestic airline business in Nigeria did not succeed. Government should continue to make the aviation industry attractive for foreign investment. The kind of investment being suggested is not the type that we’ve seen before, where few Asians would use the local banks to set up airlines with disastrous consequences. It should be possible as part of our bilateral relations with countries like the USA and Germany to induce Lufthansa and Delta Airlines to engage major private sector operators in setting up airlines.

    On a final note, our current Minister of Aviation, Mrs Stella Oduah deserves some commendation and praise in her policy of transformation of Nigerian Airports, particularly the major ones in Port Harcourt, Kano and Abuja. But I am sorry to say that the current expansion of the Lagos Airport leaves much to be desired. This expansion does not meet the volume of air traffic in our country. If our minister has not been to Atlanta, Georgia before, I will advise her to make a trip and do a study tour of that airport. The Lagos Airport is about one-fiftieth of the Atlanta International Airport, which is arguably the third largest Airport in the world and is a major hub of the aviation industry in the southern part of the U.S.

    What I am trying to say is that while the effort of the minister is commendable, it is not enough. We have to plan big and not just for the moment. After being away for four weeks, I arrived back in Nigeria on January 6, at Murtala Mohammed Airport and what I saw pleased me a little bit and at the same time displeased me to a great extent. After arrival, I was pleasantly surprised that the airport had been configured in such a way that we had to walk for maybe 10 minutes which is great compared with the previous dispensations. This is important to keep the blood flowing and our circulating system back to normal. But along the narrow passage through which we walked were broken down desk and tables which should have been removed, but are left blocking the pathway. But the master of all embarrassments was that we had to wait for three hours before we could get our luggage. On enquiry about what was responsible for this, we were told that the luggage is manually removed from the plane and manually put on the conveyor belt and there was only one that was working. After hours of flying nobody likes to face this kind of delay. I could see the feeling of derision in the faces of foreigners in our midst and many Nigerians were saying unprintable things about our country and its leadership. The challenge therefore for our hardworking minister of aviation is that she must be on her toes and move round, not just sitting in Abuja, to see what’s going on at the major entry points of our country. She’s doing well, but she can do better.

    Let me say as a form of advice, that there is no need to always reduce everything in this country to politics. Aviation is a technical matter and those who should run the industry should not be politicians, but people knowledgeable and au courant in aviation know-how. From the ladies announcing the arrival and departure of airlines to flight controllers and managers of the airport; professionalism should be the yardstick of recruitment and not politics or ethnicity. On a light note, the ladies making announcements at the airports need to be tutored possibly by those who speak English and French as their mother tongue. The one who was announcing arrival and departure of flights on the night of January 6, should be given a desk job while someone who can speak English and French properly without our heavy local accent should be recruited. If she wants the job of an announcer, she should wait until Hausa, Ibo and Yoruba become languages of international and aviation communication.

     

  • ‘Demand for skilled aviation manpower will exceed supply’

    ‘Demand for skilled aviation manpower will exceed supply’

    IF urgent steps are not taken, demand for skilled aviation manpower in Nigeria would soon exceed supply as a large percentage of the current pool of skilled personnel in the industry are fast ageing, the Director-General of Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr Harold Demuren, has warned.

    The NCAA helmsman, who spoke with The Nation, lamented that the large pool of skilled manpower available in the industry are above 50 years of age, raising concerns about the future of the industry.

    He said: “Statistics have also shown that the percentage of the youth, less than 40 years of age, is not enough to take over from the older generation. This may lead to scarcity of skilled professionals in the aviation industry.

    According to him, the industry faces a bleak future as the few available skilled manpower available in the country are being poached by airline operators in the Middle East and Europe that are ready to pay fat remuneration.

    He said,“Research has also shown that major carriers in Europe and the Middle East offer Nigerian pilots and engineers more than double the amount they earn in Nigeria and they are ready to poach the few available skilled personnel.”

    The aviation chief said though some African carriers and civil aviation authorities have invested massively on the training of skilled professionals, the search for greener pastures makes male professionals to constantly be on the move, adding that this development has now made the NCAA to be at the vanguard of encouraging women to make careers in the aviation industry.

    “While men are prone to constant migration, women are more stable. NCAA is now in the forefront of encouraging the training of women aviation professionals to take over from the ageing current skilled aviation professionals,” Demuren said.

    According to him, in the last seven years, there has been an unprecedented number of females enrolling and graduating as aircraft pilots and maintenance engineers at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria.

    He said: “Most of these graduates are gainfully employed with different air operating certificate holders and approved maintenance organisations. One milestone that was recently achieved was the all female crew of Aero Airline that operated on April 1, 2009, which was the first of its kind in Africa.”

    Demuren lamented that insufficient training capacity to meet demand was also a major challenge confronting the industry in the country.

    “There is also the problem of learning methodologies that are not responsive to new evolving learning style. Accessibility to affordable training, lack of harmonisation of competencies in some aviation disciplines are also challenges,” he said, adding that the training capacity is insufficient to meet current demand.

    According to him, in the next 20 years, over a million pilots, engineers, technicians, cabin crew and air traffic controllers will be required to keep the global industry running, adding that for the air transport sector to remain safe, efforts must be put in place by countries to bridge the manpower gap.

    Sector analysts say it is only through the provision of the requisite technical manpower that safety can be guaranteed in the sector and incessant air mishap stopped.

  • Aviation sector dying, private jets market booming

    Aviation sector dying, private jets market booming

    With barely four functional airlines and less than 20 aircraft serving about 160 million Nigerians, the elite and government officials embrace private jets and chartered flights as the solution to the nation’s ailing aviation industry, OLUKAYODE THOMAS, PAUL UKPABIO, INNOCENT DURU and KELVIN OKUBOR report.

     

    Until recently, Nigerians could count on their fingers members of this exclusive club. They included oil companies, the Presidency and some individuals. But not anymore. Nigerians are losing count of their country men who own private jets. Governors, politicians, legislators, religious leaders and top executives in telecommunications and banking own jets. Those who do not own jets travel on chartered flights.

    The brand of plane the elite and government officials love include, but is not limited to, Hawker Siddley 125-800 and 900XP, Gulfstream 450, 550 and 650; Bombardier Challenger 604, 605; Global Express; Embraer Legacy and Falcons.

    Aviation experts and industry watchers are not at one on the number of private jets in Nigeria today. While some claim it is over 200, many believe that figure is an exaggeration. A foreign magazine, Forbes, recently claimed that in the last five years, Nigerians may have spent about $6.5 billion or more buying private jets, and that there are more private jets in Nigeria than even comparatively richer African countries, such as South Africa, Egypt and others.

    Forbes revealed that the craze for private jets rose by 650 per cent between 2007 and 2012. As at 2007, there were just about 20 private jets in Nigeria, but as of today, there are about 200. Forbes claims that Nigeria is one of the fastest growing private jets markets.

    But for Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the figure being peddled by Forbes or any other medium is not right. They revealed that only 77 private jets are operating in Nigeria, and 67 of the jets are not registered in Nigeria.

    NCAA spokesman Sam Adurogboye said: “Basically, we have 10 privately owned jets owned by Nigerians that are registered. We equally have 67 that are foreign registered. What this means is that they are bought overseas and registered there. Nigerian registered has to do with those jets that are on the register of aircraft maintained by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. It follows, therefore, that those are the aircraft that you have oversight authority over. By oversight, I mean regulatory functions that determine whether it is fit to fly, whether it is fit to be brought into the country, whether it is fit to be operated at all in your airspace. Every country has its registration mark for its aircraft. It is allotted by International Civil Aviation Organisation. No country has two numbers, it is just one.”

    Adurogboye said he “cannot say whether the 67 foreign aircraft” are owned by Nigerians or not. “When people buy airplanes, often times they don’t buy it directly as individuals. People buy aircraft through an agent, usually a company. That is the position of the law. Like I said earlier, you buy through a firm that will charge you because it is in business to make profit. Our business is not to find out the owner of any aircraft. It is bought by a third party as it is known to the law and it is registered with NCAA in the name of the firm. There is nowhere in NCAA records where you will see the name of an individual as the owner of any aircraft.”

    Nigerian owned jets with foreign registration

    However, a highly placed aviation officer confided in The Nation that many public office holders own most of the private jets registered abroad. He said the trend is to prevent them from being linked to the ownership of such airplanes.

    The Managing Director of Aero Airlines, Captain Akin George, has condemned the increasing number of private jets being parked at most of the aprons of Nigerian airports. He was particularly piqued that most of the private jets carry foreign registration credentials rather than Nigerian registration. The decision to register the jets in foreign countries, particularly in South Africa, is said to be informed by the notion that in case the owners want to resell the jets, they would warrant a bigger value from buyers.

    George urged the authorities to make registration in Nigeria friendly and attractive. He said all the aircraft in Nigeria were registered in company’s names rather than private names.

    Governors need jets

    Outrage continues to trail the recent acquisition of jets by Akwa Ibom Governor Godswill Akpabio and Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi. Akpabio reportedly bought a Gulfstream jet manufactured in 2011 for $45 million in July 2012. The plane registration number is N224BH. This was confirmed by the state’s spokesman Aniekan Ummanah, who insisted that it is Akwa Ibom State property.

    Amaechi, on October 7, took delivery of a Bombardier Global 5000 (N565RS). The jet cost $45.7 million. The state’s former aircraft, a Dash 8-Q200 aircraft, was sold to Cross River State for $6 million.

    A Port Harcourt-based human rights campaigner described the vogue as “ungodly”. But Rivers State Information Commissioner Mrs. Ibim Semenitari told reporters the plane was paid for “two years ago”.

    She added: “The reason is for safety. The new aircraft is a much safer one.”

    Semenitari revealed that expert advice was sought before the purchase and that the Rivers State House of Assembly approved the purchase.

    If Akpabio and Amaechi merely acquired jets to be ferried around in, Taraba State Governor Danbaba Suntai not only acquired one, he had enough time to combine governance with studies as a pilot. He qualified as a private pilot from the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) Zaria in August 2010.

    Recently, the pilot-governor crashed at Ngulore village, 10 kilometres to Yola International Airport. Suntai was piloting a Cessna 208 aircraft, with registration number, 5N-BMJ. The governor and his aides are undergoing treatment in Germany.

    House of Representatives member representing Zuru/Fakai/Zakaba/ Dawazagu Federal Constituency of Kebbi State, Bala Ibn Na’Allah, who is reported to have sold Suntai’s first plane to him, recently justified the acquisition of private planes by the elite.

    He said: “Since I took delivery of my aircraft, it showed that it is far cheaper to maintain than maintaining my cars. A return flight from Abuja to Zuru, my village, costs me 50 litres of petrol, whereas my jeep consumes over 200 litres.”

    Na’Allah added that it is cheaper to maintain a plane than the latest models of cars and Sports Utility Vehicles. He said: “To service it after a mandatory 50-hour flight, which is the equivalent of servicing a car, costs less than N50, 000. And for maintenance, the retainership fee with Aviation Maintenance Organisation (AMO) per annum is about N200, 000.”

    He revealed that his C-172 aircraft manufactured in 1971 cost him about $48,000 to acquire.

    “In all, you will see that it is very cheap to maintain these aircraft than to maintain the latest car in the market. I think if people know that it is cheaper to acquire and maintain a small aircraft, like my own, many Nigerians would not hesitate to get one today, than the craze for buying flashy cars, with armed robbers trailing you, not to talk of bad roads and frequent car crashes will reduce,” he said.

     

    Chartered flights booming

    For elite and government officials, especially governors, who could not acquire private jets probably because of public outrage, the next level is chartered air planes.

    Aviation sources put the cost of a trip between N4million and N7 million.

    In 2011 alone, statistics revealed that Nigerians spent roughly N29.7bn on chartered flights. According to NCAA and FAAN data, an average of 50 jets was chartered daily in 2011. NCAA Director-General, Dr. Harold Demuren, confirmed this in a recent public lecture.

    Preferred charter operators include Kings Airlines, Associated Airlines, Top Brazz Aviation, Wings Aviation, Associated Airlines, Overland Airways, Arik Air, Vistajet, Aero Contractors, Caverton Helicopters, OAS Helicopters, Bristow Helicopters and Pan African Airlines.

    No, yes to private jets,

    chartered flights

    Lagos lawyer Festus Keyamo has described the development as waste of public funds. He said: “This is a colossal waste of public fund. It is absolutely obscene and distasteful and a classic case of misplaced priorities for state governors to acquire private jets at this present time. By placing the said private jets or airplanes in the hands of private managers, is also an avenue for fraud. It cannot be a source of revenue enough for a state to recover that kind of capital. That kind of income can never be in commensuration with such investment especially in this very situation and time when people are hungry in the state. It is not commensurate.

    “There are a lot of commercial jets in Nigeria for any state governor or government to move around in. They should return the private jets to where they got them from, recover the money and use it for projects that will really affect the lives of people in their states positively.”

    Another lawyer, Mohammed Fawehinmi, agrees with Keyamo. He said: “Governors or state governments are not presently considering the economic situation of the country to justify acquiring private jets. I will implore Nigerians to be asking questions collectively and stop hailing these people. The money used to acquire those private jets is meant for development projects that should benefit the citizenry of each state. Unfortunately, the governors now use such monies to buy jets and some people are hailing them and wanting to be like the governors, creating more problems for the citizens of those states.”

    For Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Mike Ozekhome, it is unfair to say governors have private jets because the jets are owned by their states. He said: “I do not like the word private because it suggests that it belongs exclusively to the governor in question. If it is an aircraft purchased for a state to ease movement of the governor and government officials for official duties, I do not see anything wrong with that because at the end of the day, it could be more protected and viable.

    Many times, when these governors are travelling abroad, they go with First Class tickets, sometimes they go with up to 10 Commissioners, 10 advisers and even with their wives who may also go with their hangers-on. So some governors go on a trip with 30 or 40 people. By the time you pay for first class and business class tickets for such a large number of people, you find out that money of the state is being drained in a very drastic and shameless manner. On the other hand, if government acquires a jet for the state and it is the property of the state like governor Odili, former Governor of Rivers State once did for his state, then it is viable. And to the best of my knowledge, the jet was being used long after he had left Government House.”

    Aviation expert, Captain Dele Ore, said for states that are not linked by commercial flights, there is nothing wrong with such states acquiring jets. He said: “Every state has its own peculiarities. And there are states that are not properly linked by the commercial airlines. And so it makes commuting from such places to Abuja or Lagos, which is a commercial centre, difficult for the officials, therefore creating a need for an aircraft to be designated to belong to such a state for ease of governance because of the need to commute to the federal capital, without first of all going to Lagos.”

    He added that what should be worried about is whether the jets were acquired after due process has been followed.

    “We should not be against the use of aircrafts if they are used to develop and train the people of the state and ease government officials’ transportation as long as they have capacity to buy and maintain because some people can say that they cannot even feed themselves and so on. But if it helps the governor to go to Abuja and in a few hours he is back in the state instead of spending two extra days on the road, it saves delay in government duties and these same aircrafts might also be used for medical evacuation and such emergencies. So it depends on what studies they made and arrived at in such states. As a blanket cover to condemn state governors buying jets, I don’t share that view. It is not all governors that you can fault; there are genuine needs in some places.”

     

    Commercial airlines moribund

    While the elite and top government officials continue to acquire jets, the nation’s commercial airlines continue its fast march to the morgue.

    In the last few years, about ten commercial airlines have died. Only Arik Airline, Aero Contractors, IRS and Overland seem to be in the air, and the number of flights they operate is grossly inadequate.

    Because there are more Nigerians chasing the few planes, operators not only charge exorbitant prices, with an hour flight sometimes costing as much as N35,000, one of the highest in the world. Passengers are most times delayed at the airports for hours; flights are cancelled without genuine excuses and getting a refund is a herculean task.

    Commercial airline operators reportedly owe banks about N250 billion. Recently, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) placed a ban on further loan to commercial flight operators to prevent further escalation of their debts.

    So critical is the situation of the industry that the Federal Government is proposing a new intervention fund for the aviation industry.

    Aviation Minister Stella Oduah said: “We wanted a direct growth for a better impact than what we currently have in place and our strategy to utilising it is to have a tripartite, triangular if you like, system where the CBN with the approval of the Ministry of Finance pays directly to aircraft manufacturers of the leasing company. The leasing company would in turn bring the aircraft to our airline operators. The airline operators would now have access to brand new aircraft, if not brand new, but relatively brand new aircraft. You and the passengers will have access to functional airline that can take you to where you want to go safely and aviation remains the preferred mode of transportation.

    “Aviation is pivotal to the growth of key economic sectors, such as travel and tourism, agriculture production and distribution, rural development, trade and commerce, manufacturing and other non-oil sectors, which are critical to economic transformation of any nation. The value chain of creation by aviation is enormous. In order to reposition the Nigerian aviation sector for this role, we consulted widely with industry stakeholders and relevant ministries, departments and agencies to develop a common mission and vision.”

     

  • Senate rejects Aviation Committee report

    Senate rejects Aviation Committee report

    •British Airways, others exploiting Nigerians, says Mark 

    The Senate yesterday rejected the recommendations of its Committee on Aviation on the alleged violation of the aviation laws and practice by foreign airlines and lapses in the operation of regulatory agencies.

    The report was thrown back at the committee for more legislative input following a motion by Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu that a lot of sentiments were involved in the debate.

    Senate President David Mark said the Senate would take measures to stop foreign airlines operating in the country, including the British Airways (BA) and Virgin Atlantic, from exploiting Nigerians.

    He said the Senate cannot fold its hand and allow foreign airlines to exploit Nigerians.

    The Senate aborted the adoption of the recommendations of the Senator Hope Uzodinma-led committee due to disagreement on some vital recommendations.

    The committee had recommended that the economic regulatory powers of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) should be reviewed and strengthened and that the Senate should mandate it to start the process of amending the Civil Aviation Act of 2006.

    The recommendation to grant Arik Air the national flag carriers status was not supported by many of the lawmakers who wondered why the airline should be granted such a favour.

    Senator Mark said he was infuriated by a section of the report that talked about how foreign airlines operating in Nigeria exploit the country and its citizens.

    He said: “I think you have done a lot of good work, but I think there is a lot more the committee should have done.

    “I have not seen in this report where you have explained the difference in fares among the airlines flying to Accra-London, Lagos-London or Abuja-London.

    “I have not found here the recommendations to remedy the disparity in fares because it is ongoing. I know we are talking of anti-thrust laws, but that is not the issue.

    “You need to go back and bring very critical recommendations that will make us change the aviation industry.

    “As it is at the moment, there are many problems. Of course, one of them is to reorganise our airports.

    “The airports we have at the moment, for foreign airlines to come here, they are doing us a favour because as soon as you get to our airports, you see confusion.

    “We also need to do our home work before pointing accusing fingers or blaming others for our problems.

    “What can we do because Nigerians expect that we should protect them so that people don’t take undue advantage of them? Can we do anything?

    “The point is, let nobody exploit Nigerians. British Airways and other airlines are exploiting Nigerians and we cannot fold our hands and say we cannot do anything.”

  • Ex- minister lauds FG’s waiver of import duties on aircraft

    A former Minister of Aviation, Mr. Felix Hyat, has lauded President Goodluck Jonathan over the waiver of import duty on commercial aircraft and spare parts.

    He told the News Agency of Nigeria in Jos on Monday that the waiver would enhance safety and reduce the high operating cost incurred by Nigerian airlines.

    Jonathan had announced the waiver while presenting the 2013 budget proposal to the National Assembly last Wednesday in Abuja.

    The former minister praised the president for mustering the political will to incorporate the tariff waiver in the 2013 budget proposal.

    He said this had given vent to the long-sought relief for domestic airlines which have been reeling under the weight of heavy operating costs.

    “The waiver is a welcome development. The decision taken by the federal government is a very welcome development, which will go a long way in improving the state of maintenance and ensuring safety,’’ Hyat said.

    On his assessment of the aviation industry presently, Hyat said there was an improvement in the structures while there had not been a commensurate improvement in service provision.

    “There is an improvement in the structure and facilities, but sadly too there is a decline in the availability of air transport to the public,’’ he said.

    The former minister said there was a sharp difference between the number of people who want to travel and the availability of aircraft.

    “The number of people who wish to travel by air has greatly increased, but the availability of the aircraft or functional or performing airlines is lacking, and this is a very serious problem.

    “Nowadays, we see passengers spending days, not just hours, at the airports waiting for their flights and at the end of the day the flights are cancelled and they are stranded.

    “It is a chaotic situation that begs for urgent solution and I think the recent pronouncement of waiver on duties of aircraft’ spare parts will help matters,’’ he said.

     

  • Aviation sector woes

    Aviation sector woes

    •New policies are taking us back to the era we want to forget

    The deregulation of the aviation industry in Nigeria about two decades ago saw a substantial increase in the number of private airliners. But in recent years, the industry is in retreat. While generally, harsh business environment has contributed to the death of many airlines, we are worried that the situation has been aggravated in recent years. It is even more worrisome that despite the multi-billion naira Federal Government intervention in the sector, the situation seems to have deteriorated. As such, there is this incongruity of massive investment in exchange for greater woes in the aviation industry.

    Recently, the Federal Government set up a multi-billion naira lifeline to aid the ailing aviation sector, and the impression from government officials was that the industry was headed for a rebound. Despite this intervention, nearly all the private airlines have packed up, leaving only about three (of the 18 that were granted licenses to operate in the country in the last 10 years) in operation.

    The result is a throwback to the pre-deregulation era when travelling by air was such a tedious process, and also exploitative, as desperate passengers were compelled to bribe touts to gain access to the limited seats in the aircraft. With few airlines now running on major routes, Nigerians are suffering and the matter is made worse by the inefficiency of other means of transport.

    Even more annoying is that many of the airlines which benefited from the Federal Government’s intervention fund seem to have diverted the money to other ventures. While the aviation ministry has accused some airline owners of such diversion, it has not taken any concrete steps to bring those involved to account. Intriguingly, many of those accused of the diversions have also denied ever receiving the funds, without the federal authorities shutting them up with provable facts of their receipt of the money. Some that received the fund, still closed shop.

    Part of the fallout is the unprecedented increase in the number of private jets in the country. According to press reports, Nigeria is presently competing with China as the biggest market destination for private jets in the world. Indeed, a report in a national newspaper said that in 2007, there were a total of 20 private jets in Nigeria, which has now risen to 150. It also gave the average cost of a jet as 50 million dollars, which saw Nigerians spending about 225 million dollars on private jets between March 2010 and March 2011.

    The result is that the wealthy that could influence positive changes in the industry have all migrated to owning private airlines, leaving the rest of Nigerians at the mercy of the uncertainty and inefficiency in the commercial airline sector.

    The report also said that about 40,000 passengers daily suffer as a result of the inefficiency in the sector. Many Nigerians rue the decapitation of the Nigeria Airways, and the inability of the Federal Government to healthily regulate the private sector that took over the industry. Indeed, recently, one of the airlines that had issued tickets to passengers, simply closed shop, leaving their passengers stranded; without a word. A few of the airlines also died following their involvement in air disasters.

    While the defunct Nigeria Airways remains a sad commentary on how a public corporation with high hopes can be ruined by indiscipline and corruption, the private airlines appear not to have fared any better. With road and railway transportation still a nightmare, Nigerian air travellers may have to brace up for more hardship in the near future.

  • ‘Why aviation sector is in crisis’

    ‘Why aviation sector is in crisis’

    FIFTY-TWO years after Nigeris’s Independence, its aviation sector is still in a sorry state, according to President, Aviation Round Table (ART) Captain Dele Ore.

    Speaking with reporters in his office in Ikeja, Lagos, Ore said some policies executed by the government in the sector could not stand the test of time. He said instead of the government to allow the managers in the industry to do their jobs, it appointed non-experts, adding that, as a result of this, the industry has been in a traumatic state.

    The former pilot with the defunct Nigerian Airways said: “I think in the last 52 year,s as far as aviation is concerned, I can say that it has been very turbulent to the extent that there are several areas where you can ask questions, such as: have we really learnt anything? And the answer is in the negative. We are not learning. I am going to start simply by recalling that in the last 52 years, we have had 34 ministers in the aviation industry and if we want to do a little bit of mathematics, it is merely one minister for every 18 months.

    “What kind of policy can you put in place that could be enduring? It cannot endure and that is the bane of the industry.The industry would have been doing much more better if we allowed managers to do their jobs; instead we send ‘damagers’ to take over from them. So, invariably, we are working with ‘damagers’ instead of working with managers in the industry and it is such a pity”.

    Ore, however, said the first disservice the government did to aviation was the liquidation of Nigerian Airways, pointing out that, since then, it has been motion without movement. He said stakeholders and the government were just dancing in a circle in the industry.

    According to him, since the liquidation of Nigerian Airways, airlines in the private sector had been coming and going. He said at a time Nigeria had about 28 airlines, but now the viable ones are about five.

    “The first and most disastrous disservice that we did to aviation was the liquidation of Nigerian Airways.Aviation has not been the same since then; so that was the beginning of the problem for aviation because by the time you killed Nigerian Airways or we assassinated it or we murdered it, so many things died with it. That was when training also stopped, developing manpower stopped and if you don’t have a continuous stream of manpower to replace ageing ones; that is a source of problem,” he said.