…..harp on transparency, garner knowledge about concession from other climes etc.
Aviation experts and concerned stakeholders in the aviation industry want controversies surrounding previous terminal concession agreement settled before signing a new one to avoid discouraging prospective investors.
This is just as they want government to ensure the process was transparently conducted in compliance with the extant laws and due process to avoid post-agreement controversies and rancour as previously experienced.
At the end of a recent webinar with the theme: Nigerian Airports Concession, How Far, So Far? by the Aviation RoundTable Initiatives, ART, the participants in addition to the proposed 4 airports to be concessioned, said government should in its current concession plan consider the totality of all the 22 airport terminals.
They emphasized that there was the need for aviation authorities in Nigeria to understudy successful models of terminal commercialisation and operation in other climes to gain deeper understanding of airport concession and management to minimise controversies associated with such.
According to them, all existing legal, labour, and other complications arising from previous experiments(Nigeria Airways (WT), NAHCO, etc.) should be conclusively resolved.
“There is need for government to allay the fears of the unions and employees of FAAN with regards to the planned concession. The process must be FAIR &TRANSPARENT.”
In their recommendations, they stressed that the concession be done with the objectives of protecting users’ interest through the provision of innovative and quality services by service providers as well as leveraging private sector funds amenable to modern technologies to provide improved infrastructure comparable to global standards.
That Government should have minimal participation in airport’s terminal management and infrastructure development but should concern itself primarily with aeronautical services and regulatory interventions and oversight.
The webinar also recommended that the proposal for a connected rail system designed to ensure interoperability of the domestic and international terminals at the MMIA Lagos be revisited to enhance passenger facilitation and air cargo management.
“The modest successes recorded in terminal infrastructure and services at the MMA2 should be improved upon and adopted as a strategy for development of other terminals in the country.”
