Nigeria airlines are to save over $50 million annually as Nigeria’s oldest airline, Aero Contractors has received certification from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for an Aircraft Maintenance Organization, AMO.
This amount will be saved from taking aircraft for maintenance outside the country for checks.
The facility is to handle C-checks on Boeing B737-300, B737-400 and B737-500 at the airline’s terminal effective from September 12, 2017.
Airlines in Nigeria currently have 24 of these Boeing aircraft according to Aero.
At a news conference in Lagos, Managing Director, Aero contractor, Captain Ado Sanusi said,” this represent for us a significant achievement and a major instrument for our turn around efforts”.
He added,” We are proud to receive the certification by NCAA to commence this service for airlines across the West African sub region”.
According to him, apart from Nigerian airlines, the facility would also cater for the West African sub-region, adding that in the present state of foreign exchange difficulties, this would serve as a great relief for operators to have facility for maintaining their aircraft domicile in their country.
“the feat has benefits far beyond Aero contractor. The fact that C- check on B737 classic can now be performed in Nigeria by Aero Contractor will reflect directly in significant drop in maintenance costs for airlines in Nigeria and the sub-region as well as reduction in downtime for such checks. In the present state of foreign exchange difficulties, this is no mean relief. Therefore, this milestone by Aero contractor will benefit the entire Nigerian aviation Industry”
Captain Sanusi noted that the airline has the requisite manpower to handle aircraft maintenance at the hanger, stressing that their hanger had been expanded and all necessary facilities for the C-check maintenance have been put in place.
“This will reinforce the strength and quality of our brand. We will continue to offer the most reliable, safe and secure operations, which the airline is renowned for.”
He appealed to the Federal Government to give the airline a free trade zone status to assist them in importing tools, aircraft spare parts and avoid having any problems with the Nigeria Customs Service.
Sanusi commended the NCAA for its professionalism and all the encouragement they received from the Authority in the cause of the approval process. ” we sincerely thank the Director General and his team of competent professionals. We remain proud of the professionalism and competence of our engineers and will continue to count on them to make an outstanding success of this new phase of our AMO”.
It would be recalled that Aero had earlier received an AMO certification from the NCAA in 2011 which allowed the airline to carry out third party maintenance for other airlines.
