……wants CBN to prioritize aviation on forex matter
The Chairman, Westlink Aviation, Capt. Ibrahim Mshelia has called on the Management of the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency, NAMA to review its operational procedures to enhance radio communication in the airspace.
Capt. Mshelia who made the call in a chat with reporters on navigation facilities and other issues said, radio communications remained the greatest challenge pilots face flying in the country.
He said sectorization was the only solution to reducing the congestion in radio ” when over congested, the radios fail to work. It is very wrong to say that the radios are very okay, it is a major problem to all pilots”.
“Sectorize the airspace, it would reduce the congestion in radio, we have congestion on radio and it is showing most prominently for whatever reasons not only that the equipment is deficient”.
“I urge NAMA to review their procedure so that we adopt more modern things. Airlines have been compelled to equip their aircraft with modern navigational equipment and radios and they should do same”.
Capt. Mshelia called for the exemption of the aviation industry from the issue of forex as the industry was in dare need of recovery and continue to promote safety.
“Aviation requires so many consumables from outside, certainly, there is gross abuses of forex somewhere, I don’t know but Aviation should be exempted, our operation systems are quite different”.
On the emergence of new airlines, he described it as a welcome development and says, “quite frankly in all fairness, Nigeria Aviation industry is a very big market, I don’t think we even have enough airlines yet, we do not have the ideal airline yet because also because we are still struggling but we need more competition to really consolidate”.
According to him, the country’s aviation industry should continue to encourage new airlines as most parts of the country were yet to be covered especially with the general aviation service.
“The market is huge, our general Aviation aspect of it, interlining airlines and so within the domestic and sub-region is not developed at all because somewhere like Gombe, Bauchi and Katsina and elsewhere, they are up coming places that if you put a lighter aircraft, turboprop.
“We still need more airlines to fill up that gap, it is not out of place. Everybody now know the importance of aviation during the pandemic that even the bread they use to get at home is beginning to run out because Aviation is no more moving, so we have not even reach the peak yet more airlines should come”.
