AM EDITORIAL: Indicators Of A Thriving Aviation Sector
At 99, the aviation sector of Nigeria as a 64 year old country, has come a long way, with a history of ups and downs. From experience, it may be safe to say that aviation eras have changed several times overtime, with some Nigeria’s aviation stakeholders failing to change strategies in line with the changing times. This has been the bane of growth and development of a sector that has basic indicators of successes or failures.
Manpower is key to any business or sector and central data coordination of the volume of professionals produced by the country still requires improvement as availability or otherwise of data affects planning.
The foremost major flying school in the country, Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, is very poorly marketed, while the number of pilots produced by the school has dwindled in recent years. Flight attendants, flight dispatchers and some other professionals are regularly produced mostly by private Aviation Training Organizations (ATOs) in Nigeria and Kwara State owned flying school, International Aviation College, (IAC) Illorin, has since inception, several years ago, struggled with funding for basic needs. Is Nigeria’s aviation industry really thriving?
Machines or equipment determine so many things in airline business. The Minister of Aviation & Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN) should be commended for his efforts to grow Nigeria’s local airlines by engaging aircraft manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus, seeking that they offer Nigerian airlines unprecedented access to their vast technical resources, with anticipated benefits of specialized personnel training and opportunities for introduction of new or pre-owned aircraft into the Nigerian market. The Minister has also facilitated and achieved the signing of practice direction for the Cape Town Convention.
This however, does not provide the required capital for investment in a capital intensive local airline business by an interested investor. Until the interest of Nigerian banks in financing aviation business grows beyond what it has been for a long time; until the challenge of access to forex, incredibly high interest rates, high operating cost, bulked in high aircraft maintenance cost as well as fuelling issues are addressed, the industry’s journey to economically healthy airlines and a flourishing performance is still far. Is Nigeria’s aviation industry truly thriving?
Even with manpower and machines, no aviation industry thrives without a conducive operating environment. A massive review of policy framework, policies and agreements is required. For instance, there is a very urgent need for review of all Bilateral Air Services Agreements (BASAs) some of which need to be tweaked in such a way that they work in favour, rather than against the interest of Nigeria. We are glad to hear that the Federal Ministry of Aviation & Aerospace Development is doing something about existing bilateral and multilateral agreements that Nigeria has with other countries. The truth is that there are some existing anti-Nigeria multiple routes designations that are currently being operated. This is not right.
The incidents of bird strikes at Nigeria’s airports have dropped of recent. Thanks to efforts by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). However, airports infrastructure challenges that impede airline business and air travellers’ comfort must be confronted from the base, as admitted by the Director of Operations, FAAN, Capt. Abdullahi Mahmood in a recent interview with journalists, where he said that “we have ventured into looking at upgrading of facilities because there is so much decay in our facilities as we know. Some of the buildings have been there for 40 years, and when buildings have been there for that long, definitely you will just be doing a lot of palliative work. Although, the plan is to see that we remodel everything, but definitely, these things take time.”
We wish to posit that fixing Nigeria’s aged airports infrastructure challenges at Lagos international airport in particular, has shamefully taken too long and requires all the urgency of attention that it can be given.
The huge potentials of Nigeria’s leadership in freight sector are being constrained by corrupt practices, bureaucracies at the airports, among other factors.
Is Nigeria’s aviation industry truly thriving? AM
