Oustanding staff promotions released by FAAN

Aviation Nigeria

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has released all outstanding staff promotions, between 2009 and 2012, as part of the Authority’s staff welfare package.

This was made public by the General Manager, Corporate Communications of Aviation parastatals, Mr Yakubu Dati.

The statement said the promotion exercise, cut across all cadres and airports, and was preceded by a screening exercise, which involved written examinations and oral interviews designed to test the capacity of qualified staff in handling the responsibilities of higher office and their grasp of current developments in the industry. 

The Managing Director of FAAN, Mr. George Uriesi, has congratulated all the promoted staff and asked them to see their promotions as a tonic for greater productivity, in line with the transformation agenda of the Federal Government in the aviation industry as well as the Aviation Sector Master Plan, as developed by the Honourable Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah.

Most of the affected staff have expressed gratitude to the management of the Authority for bringing an end to their long wait for the release of the promotion, most of which preceded the present management.

13 Airports to host cargo terminals

Aviation Nigeria

A total of 13 airports have been earmarked to host perishable cargo terminals. This was contained in a statement by the Coordinating General Manager of Aviation Parastatals, Mr. Yakubu Dati.

Yakubu Dati stated that: 

"At present, based on expression of interest from the private sector and State governments, the following cities have been prioritized to host perishable cargo terminals; Abuja, Akure, Calabar, Ilorin, Jalingo, Jos, Kano, Lagos, Makurdi, Minna, Owerri, Port Harcourt and Uyo."

He also added that these, airports which are in proximity to states which can be relied as food baskets will be developed with international standard perishable cargo facilities to enhance their operations.

State governments have also been encouraged to partner with the Federal government to revive smaller airports, particularly for taxi operations, tourism and cargo operations which could benefit domestic and regional economic development.

“This is to enable them key into the over N250 billion naira annual air freight export market out of Africa. Countries like Kenya, South Africa, Benin, Cote d’ivoire, Ghana, Senegal, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Egypt are participating in the trading in commodities such as fruits, fresh fish, vegetables and flowers while Nigeria, which produces these produce in abundance, records zero participation." It read.

Speaking on the decision Datti stated that provision would also be made to create the much needed storage infrastructure in view of the large volume involved and to facilitate the evacuation of agricultural produce to domestic markets, in conformity with international standards.

Dati pointed out that the European Union (EU) is the main market for African exporters, and accounts for more than 40% of total exports, followed by the US with 20%. Intra-regional trade represented only 8% of the total, with South Africa as the leading exporter to the region with 21% of the total.

He added that the development of Economic Free Trade and Export Processing Zones will be targeted alongside cargo airports and agro-allied industrial clusters, based on local opportunities and the state’s competitive and comparative advantage in agriculture production.

The Nigerian aviation sector is establishing closer co-operation with Federal Ministry of Agriculture and State Governments for concerted and strategic focus to this efforts” Datti stated

Mobile check - In introduced by Dana Air

Aviation Nigeria

Guests of Dana Air will enjoy quicker and convenient check-in services with the launch of the ‘Roving Agent’, a mobile device which allows guests to be checked-in on arrival at the airport by mobile airline staff.

Strapped with tablet PCs and mini printers, the airline’s mobile check-in agents can now issue boarding passes to guests even before they reach the check-in counter. This new initiative complements the airline’s existing check-in counters and online check-in service.

“What we are offering in roving agents is immense value addition for our guests,” said Obi Mbanuzuo, Dana Air’s Head of Commercial. “With this solution, our mobile check-in agents can quickly access and verify the travel reservation details of guests; book them on their choice of seat and generate boarding passes.”

“Now guests with hand baggage need not wait at the check-in counter to collect their boarding pass; they can simply approach any of our easily recognizable mobile check-in agents on arrival at the airport and then proceed through airport security to the boarding gate,” Mbanuzuo explained.

Source: Daily Trust

Nigerian College of Aviation Technology opens campus in Minna

Aviation Nigeria

The Nigerian College of Aviation Technology opened its campus at Minna Airport for flight training.

This was done in collaboration with the Niger State Government through an agreement  with NCAT to establish a campus at Minna.

The agreement also indicated that the training campus would station four trainer aircraft.

A statement by the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Transport Niger state Alhaji Abdullahi explained that the training commenced with ‘ground school studies’ last year adding that the students are now ready to start ‘flight training with small aircrafts’.

Abdullahi has also called on the public when sighting low level flying aircrafts, as this would bear no risk to the public.

Expect Flight Delays, Cancellations – NCAA

Aviation Nigeria

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Monday alerted airlines and pilots on the dangers inherent in the current harmatan haze being experienced across the country, saying that they must abide by weather report to avert safety breach.

In a circular signed by the Director General of the agency, Dr Harold Demuren, the regulatory body said the call was to alert all pilots on the hazards of harmattan haze and offered guidance to help prevent accidents caused by this weather phenomenon.

“Hazards and operational problems associated with harmattan is comparable to that of heavy fog. Thus, air-to-ground visibility is considerably reduced. Others include poor aerodrome visibility which might fall below the prescribed minima and in severe conditions.”

NCAA also noted that dust haze can blot out runways and markers over wide areas making visual navigation impossible; where terminal visibility falls below the prescribed weather minima, airlines and pilots should flights be delayed, diverted or cancelled.

The authority therefore advised pilots to recognise harmattan haze as a hazard and exercise maximum restraint when the condition is observed or forecast.

“It is therefore mandatory for all pilots to obtain weather briefing from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) including departure, en-route and destination  weather information prior to flight operations.

“The airlines and their flight crews should keep passengers informed of the situation  and of the potential for flight delays and possible cancellations. Safety considerations  must always be the highest priority,” the agency said.

Early morning flights were disrupted last Friday in the nation’s important cities of Lagos and Abuja as fog reduced visibility to non-flight levels.

Many domestic flights were disrupted and international flights were also affected as Virgin Atlantic Airways rerouted its flight to Lagos to Accra, while Arik Air flight from London to Lagos was diverted to Port Harcourt.

Passengers, who hurried to meet their flights in the morning yesterday, arrived the airports disappointed as the airlines rescheduled their flights from morning to noon, hoping that visibility would improve.

Thousands of passengers massed at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) and the Murtala Muhammed Airport domestic terminal, known as MMA2,  hoping and waiting for the fog to clear.

Airlines in Nigeria.

Aviation Nigeria

Passenger Airlines

Aero
Arik Air
Chanchangi Airlines
Dana Air
IRS Airlines
Med-View Airline
Overland Airways

Cargo Airlines

Allied Air
Axiom Air
JED Air
Millennium Air

Charter Airlines

Azikel Air
DANA – Dornier Aviation Nigeria
Dominion Air
Gyro Air
Izy Air
Jet Taxi Transport
Kabo Air
King Airline
MaxAir
Med-View Airline
Meridian Airlines
Omni Air
Prime Air Services
Re-Routine Air
SkyBird Air
SkyJet Aviation / Barbedos Aviation Services
Skypower Express Airways
TopBrass Aviation
Tradecraft Air
Triax Airlines
Triton Aviation / Hangar8
West Link Airlines
Wings Aviation

Helicopter Companies

Aero Contractors
Atlantic Aviation / CHC Nigeria – former partner of Aero
Caverton Helicopters / DanCopter / Heli-Union
OAS Helicopters
Pan African Airlines / Bristow Nigeria / BATS

Start-up/Dormant Airlines and Helicopter Companies

Air Nigeria – formerly Nigerian Eagle Airlines / Virgin Nigeria Airways
Air Taraba
Associated Aviation / Associated Air Cargo
Azman Air
Discovery Air
FirstNation Airways – formerly Bellview Airlines
Hak Air
Imo Air – formerly Air MidWest
TaK Aviation

Former Airlines

For a full list of defunct Nigerian airlines, see the Airline History website.

SOURCE: Aviation History

FAAN records 13.4 million passengers in 2012.

Aviation Nigeria

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has made a public a publication of its total recorded passengers in 2012, the publication puts the number at 13.4million(thirteen million, four hundred thousand) passengers.

This publication was submitted by FAAN to the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos on Wednesday 9 January 2012, with a figure clearly in excess of its around 11million passengers who passed through its terminals in 2011.

A breakdown of the figure shows that arrivals and departures were 6.9 million and 6.5 million passengers respectively, recording a high patronage in April, May, June, July and December 2012.

The publication also pointed out that FAAN was maintaining ``an international standard of security’’ in all its airports to increase the number of passengers and making the airports safe and comfortable for passengers.

The statement was jointly signed by the Executive Officer of FAAN Mrs Abiola Alaka and its Operation Officer, Mr Lawal Abdulahi.

It was also pointed out by the agency, that it was working closely with security agencies such as the Police, Customs, Immigration, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the armed forces, to ensure adequate security of all passengers.

Aviation to earn 4Trillion from Nigeria in 2013.

Aviation Nigeria

By Chinedu Eze

With the coming of more airlines, both on the domestic and international routes, passenger movement increase to over 18 million and a boost to cargo services with the designation of new cargo airports, the aviation industry is projected to generate about N4 trillion in 2013.

If the Federal Government approves, British Airways may increase its frequency to Lagos this year and Emirates will add another aircraft to its operations, the same with Ethiopian Airlines. This is in addition to new foreign airlines that have applied to operate into the country.

Also, Arik Air, which has deepened its operation in Central Africa and expanded its services in West Africa, is expected to bring in more passengers from these regions to Lagos to connect to international destinations.

Available figures indicate that the total amount of revenue generated by foreign and domestic airlines, charter services and cargo operations in Nigeria is over N3.5 trillion or $25 billion annually.

This is expected to increase this year after the slur in market witnessed last year because of the tragic crash of Dana Air flight and the suspension of operations by Air Nigeria, Chanchangi and First Nation Airways, which hiked fares and literally chased many potential air travellers out of the airports.

The N4 trillion would come from passenger tickets, cargo freight charges, payment for charter services and revenues generated by government operators or service providers.

The government operators or service providers include Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN),  Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and  Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) that earn about N300 billion or $2 billion annually in the previous years, from passenger service charge, landing and parking, navigational charges and others. These agencies’ revenues are expected to increase by 15 per cent.

By end of December last year, passenger movement on international routes rose to six million and that was the highest increase recorded in the nation’s air transport history, but this may increase to eight million this year.

In 2011, FAAN recorded over 12 million passenger movement and 234,235 aircraft movement and out of the over 12 million passengers, only four million were international passengers, which increased to six million by 2012.

Also, last year, passenger movement in the domestic routes was less than what was obtained in 2011 because of the slump immediately after the crash of Dana Air flight 0992, which killed 163 people, but it picked up from October, reaching its peak in December at almost the same figure with that of 2011.

Besides, foreign airlines operating into Nigeria repatriated over N164 billion to their various countries in 2010; earned over N250 billion in 2011 and it is projected that the figure may have doubled in 2012 because of increase in passenger movement, higher load factor and smooth operations from January to December.

FAAN said that with the installation of new carousel, the expansion and modernisation of airport facilities, there is ease in passenger facilitation.

Also, it is expected that more international airlines will start operation at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, which will also boost the total revenue available to the industry.

Dana Air to resume operations.

Aviation Nigeria

Six months after its McDonnel Douglass 83 crashed into Iju /Ishaga area of Lagos State, indications emerged yesterday that DANA Air will commence scheduled flight on the Lagos – Abuja flight with its re- certified aircraft on Nigeria’s busiest trunk route.

DANA’s re- entry into scheduled operations comes after many months of scaling hurdles set by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), which set a new rules of engagement before the carrier could commence operations.

Part of the rules is the expressed desire and willingness of DANA Air to pay the outstanding seventy per cent insurance claims to families of victims of the crash,which will amount to seventy thousand dollars.

DANA Air said last year that save for delay in collection of letters of administration, from the probate registry of the Lagos High Court, it would have paid many families that are set to receive the outstanding payment.

A source in the industry said yesterday that officials of DANA Air were busy having series of meetings preparatory for the commencement of flight.

The source hinted that the carrier called its personnel who were still observing the end of year holidays to report for work preparatory for flights, which is likely to alter the operational equation in the domestic scene of the aviation sector.

SOURCE: The Nation

Navy Sets Up Board To Unravel Cause Of Helicopter Crash.

Aviation Nigeria

The Nigerian Navy has constituted a board to unravel the remote and immediate causes of its helicopter, which crashed in Bayelsa on Saturday, Rear Adm Emmanuel Ogbor, has said. 

Ogbor, who is the Chief of Training and Operations, announced the constitution of the board at a news conference in Abuja on Monday.

He said that the members, who are aircraft investigation specialists, are drawn from Agusta Westland, the manufacturer of the ill-fated aircraft and other aviation regulatory agencies as provided by extant regulations.

Ogbor said that some components of the helicopter that could assist the board to carry out its investigation had been recovered.

 ``It is expected that the board will come out with the remote and immediate causes of the accident with far reaching recommendations that will forestall future occurrence,’’ he said. 

Ogbor explained that the Navy’s helicopters, including the NN07, which crashed on Saturday, were properly maintained and serviced regularly, in accordance with the manufacturer’s specification.

He said that the ill-fated helicopter’s routine maintenance was concluded on Nov. 10 and was cleared for operations on Nov. 20 by certified technical support engineers.

``At the time of the incident, the helicopter had flown 1,704 flight hours and had more than 80 flight hours before the next scheduled routine maintenance.

``The Nigerian Navy pilots are very experienced. In fact, the captain in command has flown over 800 hours, while the co-pilot had flown over 300 hours.

``All our pilots are trained in the best aviation institutions all over the world.

``Additionally, spare parts for the helicopters are obtained directly from the manufacturers (Agusta Westland) and or its approved maintenance centre worldwide,’’ he said.

On the age of the ill-fated aircraft, Ogbor said that it was inducted into the Navy in 2004 directly from the manufacturer.

Solar power to compliment electricity at 5 Nigerian airports.

Sky Watch Nigeria.

The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency has commenced the installation of solar power equipment to aid Navigation at five airports. The N280 million worth of equipment are being installed at the Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt, Enugu and Bida enroute station. 

The Chairman, Stormberg Power Limited, Mr. Tunde Morakinyo has assured NAMA of the quality of the equipment insisting that with the installation would not only ensure uninterrupted power supply to navigational aids at the airport, it would also save NAMA millions of Naira spent monthly to power generators. The Hybrid power system is the first of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa.

"Each of the sites has 24 solar panels with 15 KVA hybrid Inverter. The system has 18 batteries for all the NAVAIDS except the VOR and this can last for 12 hours. For the VOR, the backup batteries are 36 and it has capacity to run the system for between 15 and 18 hours,” the Stormberg Chairman explained.

Each of the sites has 24 solar panels with 15 KVA hybrid Inverter. The system has 18 batteries for all the NAVAIDS except the VOR and this can last for 12 hours. For the VOR, the backup batteries are 36 and it has capacity to run the system for between 15 and 18 hours

Mr. Morakinyo further promised that the second phase of the project would commence early in January, 2013. In his response, NAMA Managing Director, Mr. Mazi Udoh said that the installation of the equipment would save the Agency the millions of Naira spent on diesel. 

“It is saving us the huge amount we used to spend on diesel to power generators and the down-time we used to experience due to power failure. This is another milestone in saving money and diversifying our power source to Solar".

NAMA completes first phase of solar power installations.

Sky Watch Nigeria.

The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) says it has completed the first phase of installation of solar power units to eliminate challenges associated with erratic power supply to navigational aids in parts of the country.

A statement in Lagos on Saturday, signed by Supo Atobatele, the agency’s General Manager, Public Affairs, quotes Nnamdi Udoh, the Managing Director, as saying that the project would cover six locations.

He said that the project awarded at a cost of N218 million would cover Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt, Enugu and Bida in Niger.

Udoh in the statement said: “this is another milestone in saving money and diversifying our power source to solar energy.

“It is a project that has been ongoing and is now fully completed and we are now using it, saving us the huge amount we use to spend on diesel to power generators and the downtime we use to experience, due to power failure.’’

He said that the agency would continue to explore other areas to deploy the use of the technology to enhance its operational efficiency.

“The solar power is solely for navigation/landing aids for now in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano, Bida and Enugu where we have major issues regarding constant power supply to the runways and air field lighting,’’ he said.

Udoh also added that power supply to the airfield and runways in the airports were erratic and that the agency used to keep them alight by running generators on 24-hour basis. The managing director said that the cost of the project also include the training of NAMA staff in the handling of the installations.

He assured that the next phase of the project cover other airports and that it was expected to begin before the end of next month January.

Group Condemns Attack On Aviation Minister

By Faith Achanya 

A section of the aviation workers union has been accused of using the union to propagate an ethnic agenda directed against the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah. Part of the attack on the minister was that she was employing people who were of non-Yoruba ethnic stock.But a group, the Middlebelt Vanguard for the Protection of Ethnic Minorities (MVPEM), in a statement, insisted that the minister was actually diluting the dominance of the aviation industry by one ethnic group so as to make available to other Nigerians from other parts of the country opportunities that should readily be available to them. In a Press Conference, yesterday in Jos,  the Coordinators of the group, Dr. James Danklang and Esther Martahot, accused some unscrupulous union officials of threatening the lives of non-Yoruba Nigerians recently employed by the aviation authorities in Lagos. MVPEM accused them of “playing the script of their pay masters who have sworn to derail the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan, especially in the aviation sector, where the Minister of Aviation, is   taking the sector to heights hitherto considered impossible. “The Middlebelt will not fold its hands and watch while the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah is being lampooned by tribal jingoists for her efforts in affording Nigerians equal opportunity irrespective of religion, tribe or creed.

Courtesy Leadership

Aviation Industry: Giant strides amidst a season of media denigration

By Skywatch correspondent.

Any avid news follower of Nigerian news especially news from the aviation sub-sector would have noticed the calculated campaign of calumny that has been drawn up by paid mischief makers to derail the steady but surely revolution that is daily gaining grounds in the aviation industry. However, the pay masters of these faceless individuals and groups are no longer the beneficiaries from the corrupt cartels that have cornered all juicy deals in the aviation sector for several years. Independent investigations have shown that the sponsors of the tirades against the Ministry and the person of the Minister are those whose lobbying prowess has failed in the face of the singular determination to do good by God, country and above all give the much needed honest lease of life –to a sector that remains highly under utilised and remains one of the most important link in the transportation equilibrium of not only Nigeria but sub-saharan Africa and the entire globe.

Never in the history of Nigeria’s aviation has the Ministry come under such barrage of media misrepresentations like the one currently being thrown at the Ministry and the person of the Minister Princess Stella Adaze Oduah.

Every step of the Airport terminal reconstruction has been met with stiff resistant, even from prominent stakeholders, even at a time when the airports didn’t have functional amenities and were not worthy of being the terminals of one of Africa’s most important air routes. It is befuddling to hear aviation professionals say safety first before reconstruction, forgetting that though aviation safety is the singular most important factor in instilling the confidence in air travel, it is equally only a comfortably well equipped airport that can compliment air safety. An airport with safe runways, well demarcated perimeter fence and functional tower facilities, fire service hubs and clinics that can aide in ensuring that such edifice is fit for air travelling amidst optimum safety and comfort.

 As if the paid ghost writers haven’t had enough their pay masters have also told them to attack the process of the bidding of the airport projects, not even the Ministry of aviation’s explanation of the projects being emergency projects in order the fast track the development of the sector has dissuade them from peddling their outright lies and half truths.

The investment drive abroad in search of competent aviation professionals to become big players in Nigeria’s aviation sector was greeted with so much disdain that if not for her patriotic zeal, the attention currently being enjoyed by potential investors wouldn’t have even been thought of. Another much maligned aspect of the Minister’s transformation drive has been the misconception and misrepresentation of the facts about the BASA fund, an interventionist fund meant for the ministry which the minister has said part of it will be channelled towards bequeathing world class airport terminals and other safety facilities at our airports nationwide. 

In fact not even fatal and tragic crashes that characterised the tenure of Prof. Babalola Borishade did the Ministry suffer such negative criticisms and wholesome cynicism. To refresh our minds a bit after Prof. Borishade was replaced on November 2 2006 four days after the crash of ADC Airlines Boeing 737 passenger aircraft, two years later he was later to be arraigned alongside his successor Femi Fani Kayode for their roles in the mismanagement of the 19.5 Billion Naira aviation intervention fund. One of the highlights of this sordid case was when an Austrian executive mentioned during a hearing that they had paid Borishade the sum of 1 Billion Naira in order to acquire the contract for the remodelling of the airports. Yet the aforementioned were not daily staples in our news items 6 years ago.

It is sad that some so-called stakeholders will rather wish for Nigeria’s aviation sector to remain underdeveloped at the expense self interest, it is important that at this critical juncture we are come together to ensure that we have an aviation sector that is amongst one of the best in Africa, the steps are already being taken, its time to rally round the Minister and ensure that the strides currently being made are sustained for the generality of Nigerians and those unborn.

Imperatives Of Aviation Infrastructure Reconstruction, A Historical Perspective

By Odunayo G. Bifarin.

In Nigeria it easy for us to dismiss the importance of airport terminals in the scheme of transportation, this is due in part to the stagnant development that characterized air travel over the years.

From the humble beginnings of the first recorded aviation activity in Kano in 1925 when a RAF pilot made a breath- taking but safe landing on the horse race course in Kano, the historic moment went down in history as the first recorded aviation activity in Nigeria.

The dilapidated structures that characterize airport terminals in Nigeria today have diminished over the years from the world class structures they were as at the time of construction almost 40 years ago. It is only proper that we trace the history of aviation in Nigeria, which shows that the earliest known commercial aviation activity in Nigeria is credited to one gentle man, "Bud" Carpenter, who owned the earliest type of the Light aircraft, de Havilland Moth.

Records show that he frequently undertook high-risk flights between Kano and Lagos, using the rail tracks as his guide and piling up extra distance in the process. Unfortunately all this humble gains have been eroded away by years of mismanagement.

In the early 1930s, an enterprising pilot carried a few fare-paying passengers in a seaplane between Lagos and Warri. With the continuation of the annual RPLF flights, aviation activities in Nigeria became quite considerable, creating the need for aerodromes.

Consequently, a representative of the Air Ministry in London visited Nigeria to inspect what could then be appropriately described as "landing grounds". Sites were selected at Maiduguri, Oshogbo, Lagos, Minna, Kano and Kaduna. Wing Commander E. H. Coleman, one of the earliest observers of the evolution of civil aviation in Nigeria described the aerodromes thus:

It must be remembered, however that what was called an aerodrome in those days would by no means meet requirements for even some of the small airplanes of modern times. In the early days it was considered necessary to construct several runways oriented in varying directions to avoid cross wind landings and take-offs, as the older type of tail-wheel aircraft was more prone to swing than the modern nose wheel types.

However, no matter how simplistic these were, they still served the purpose, however in times of increasing air safety and technological advancement Nigerian aviation sector failed to keep up with the gains that innovation had bequeathed to other visionary countries especially during the military years of the 1980s and early 90s. Fast forward to 2012 -it is not a secret knowledge that most of the Nigerian Airports and Terminals were built in the 70s, as such by 2011 they were decayed and in a state of utter dysfunction.

All Airport Users attest to the fact that our Infrastructure was a disgrace and embarrassment to our National pride. Imagine an airport without adequate toilet facilities; this was what Nigerians and foreigners alike had suffered for several years. As such it is remarkable and important the current call for the remodelling and reconstruction of the Industry must be supported in all ramifications.

The Minister of Aviation Stella Oduah must be commended for the giant strides taking to ensure that the projects come on stream immediately, despite the barrage of criticisms that has trailed the flag off the media.

The airports in major cities like Abuja, Lagos, and Port-Hacourt etc are already in the process of enjoying this rejuvenation.

Most importantly this new investment will go a long way in ensuring that Nigeria's air safety record rises to be at par with global best practices. Certainly Nigerian air travellers deserve the very best.

Nigerian Aviation: Time to arrest this capital flight

By Alkasim Abdulkadir

Despite its chequered political history and food crisis Ethiopia is a sterling example of a functional aviation industry, the following recent achievements are the reason for this statement. One of its main businesses -Asky Airlines operates out of Lome-Tokoin airport and travels to 18 countries and has just made Togo its regional hub aside having its headquarters there. Ethiopia Airlines has also made history as the first airline to take delivery of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner and also the first non-Japanese carrier to receive the aircraft. The remarks of Tewolde Gebremariam are worth recounting here “The fact that we are the first airline outside Japan to receive this ultra modern aircraft is an affirmation of our continuing pioneering role in African aviation…”

The aforementioned is exactly what the MD of the defunct Nigerian airways would have said in the late 1970s and ‘80s Nigeria. Despite the extreme turbulence that has characterised the flight of the Nigerian aviation sector statistically it is still one of the most important markets in Africa, especially giving the high business, tourist, and pilgrimage mobility of Nigerians.

The NCAA says about 5 million people make up the passenger traffic at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos; another 4 million pass through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja while an aggregate of over 7 million travel through all the airports in Lagos. No doubt any aviation investor, who ignores these numbers, will be losing out on a risky but highly viable enterprise.

There’s no need emphasising the loss to our national coffers capital to other countries annually on cost of routine (C – checks) maintenance carried out outside the country. This is due to the fact that we don’t currently have the capacity to conduct these C – checks locally. However, there are facilities for A and B checks. The funds expended by Nigerian pilots on gaining the requisite flying recertification and aircraft simulator training tests can be conserved if some these activities take place here. A classic example is an airline with 3 or 4 aircrafts will need to spend an estimated $450,000 on its pilots; as such some of these investment vistas include running of an aircraft maintenance hangar, establishment of ground handling companies and aviation training schools. Others are running a cabin simulator and flight simulator machines, importation of aircraft parts and navigational aids facilities.

One cannot rule out the multiplier effect of business activities that surround the airport from aviation fuel supply suppliers to haulage companies and catering services We need to understand that an airport goes beyond the operational components of the runway, helipad, control towers, hangars and terminal buildings; but also the components of base operators, seaplane docks and ramps, air traffic control, passenger facilities and other not only aesthetic but functional parts like restaurants, Telecom and bank outlets, lounges and emergency services.

Nigeria must begin to learn viable lessons from other global players take Air Berlin, Germany’s second largest airline, which has approached several airlines to find out whether they would be interested in becoming a strategic investor, amongst those contacted are Etihad Airways, Hainan Airlines and Emirates are understood to be among the companies that have been contacted. This is despite the fact that the company’s equity is currently €368 million and not considered an operating profit.

The federal ministry of Aviation and some of her agencies have embarked on the first phase of a long planned international investment road show this past weekend. The trip will take the team to China, the United States and Canada involving companies in finance and aerospace industries like CSCEC, ICBC, Hauwei, Boeing and Bombardier.

More than ever before there is an urgent need to attract diverse sources of funding for our aviation sector to grow; however it must be emphatically stated that there is an equally important obligation that the Ministry of Aviation must provide the enabling environment for these investments to flourish, the National Assembly must also carry out the legal frameworks that can provide the ambience for the investments platform to bear fruition. Like Harold Demuren of the NCAA said “what is therefore required at this time is abundant political will, adequate legislation and a review of the civil aviation policy to propose cogent guidelines for infrastructural development in all facets including funding”.

Alkasim Abdulkadir is an international freelance journalist and foreign correspondent for CCTV Africa.