Call for review, address infrastructure deficit
Stakeholders in the aviation industry are calling for policies that are workable, implementable and profitable for domestic airlines in the country.
This is just as they noted that for many years now, government policies have failed to help Airlines grow and stay afloat in the business due to inconsistence in policy.
Speaking at this year’s seminar of the League of Airports and Aviation Correspondents, LAAC in Lagos, with the Theme: “Boosting Aviation Investment Through Policy” chairman of the event, Managing Director, Medview Airline, Alhaji Muneer Bankole said the industry went into a near comatose state from the late 80s because of politization, overbearing governmental intervention and policy inconsistency.
He added that, “hence gestation period of domestic airlines falls within the average of five to 10 years due to scarcity and high cost of aviation fuel, poor facility at our airports, obsolete infrastructure, multiple taxations, shortage of forex for airline operators, multiple designation for the foreign carriers and absence of Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility”.
Bankole noted that due to these myriads of problems, Nigerian local airlines were yet to measure up to the expectation of maximising the country’s potential despite over 200 million population to their advantage where foreign airlines were now feeding fat leading to Capital flight.
Former Director General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, Dr. Harold Demuren whose paper titled, “Boosting Aviation Investment Through Policy, Government Perspective” said Nigeria needs stable legal and regulatory frameworks to grow the industry.
He regretted that Nigerian aviation had never been bereft of policies but they sommersaulted with new ministers in place.
He said government must implement key performance indexes among the civil servants.
Former Secretary General African Airlines Association AFRAA Mr. Nike Fadugba in his opening remarks stated that aviation in Nigeria, if properly harnessed, could become one of the keys to Nigeria’s future prosperity.
Emphasizing that the government must have the political will to drive this prosperity through workable and sustainable policies and support of indigenous Airlines.
He said, “though a lot had been achieved, but many challenges still remained, Aviation safety, security, training, regulatory oversight and infrastructure, liberalisation, modernisation, funding, efficiency, affordability and profitability all needed to be improved significantly”.
The former AFRAA scribe, said a situation in which over 90% of international air traffic to and from Nigeria was carried by non-Nigerian airlines was damaging to the economy in several ways, such as the huge capital flight from Nigeria, the continued deterioration of the Nigerian aviation industry and the loss of skilled aviation employment opportunities.
Mr. Fadugba stressed that African Governments and regulators need to provide an enabling environment that would attract investment, while African airlines work together through inter-lining, code-sharing, joint ventures and mergers and acquisitions so as to form stronger carriers that could compete effectively to grow and prosper.
According to him, Africa needs a safe, reliable, efficient and profitable air transport industry that would facilitate business, trade and tourism across the continent, and between Africa and the world.
