Stakeholders Access Challenges Of Aviation Ministry

Stakeholders in Nigeria’s aviation sector have said that for the nation’s economy to continue to record growth, the challenges in its aviation sector must be addressed because, of all the sectors of the economy, the aviation sector is very strategic, critical and plays a crucial responsibility to the economy.
Some of the challenges highlighted by them include: flight delays and cancellations, shortage of serviceable aircraft, multiple destinations for foreign carriers, taxation, and dollar scarcity. Others are, airport land encroachment, rising airfares, foreign airlines blocked fund, high foreign airlines air fare, labour unrest, touting, hawking among others.
According to them, the above mentioned challenges have so far retarded the growth of the sector but experts believed the challenges are surmountable with the right human resources and management
However, to surmount the challenges, many of the aviation practitioners argued further that the sector being a technical one, required a personality with the knowledge of the industry to supervise and hit the ground running.
They argued that since the appointment of Festus Keyamo, as the substantive minister, in 2023, he has been taking some audacious steps aimed at repositioning the sector.
For instance, they mentioned tackling of some private jet operators, who illegally converted their equipment to charter, thereby robbing the federal government of its deserved revenues, while also preventing the approved chartered operators from rendering their services to their customers as stipulated.
Apart from this, they also emphasised that the minister was creating a comfortable working environment for the operators, especially the airlines by supporting their growth and expansion and working out easy leasing agreements for them, among others.
Commenting on the performance of the minister since his assumption of office, the chief executive officer, West Link Airlines, Capt. Ibrahim Mshelia, said Keyamo had taken some bold steps to stabilise the industry, despite not being an aviation professional.
According to Mshelia, the recent setting up of a Ministerial Taskforce on Illegal Air Charter Operations and Related Matters by Keyamo, revealed some huge, but obvious gaps in the civil aviation industry in Nigeria.
The committee in a preliminary report, released on July 26, 2024, had exposed the use of private foreign registered aircraft for illegal charter operations by some private jet owners in the country.
The committee also identified high-net-worth individuals in the scandal, which had consistently put a question mark on the adherence to regulations by the Private Non-Commercial Flight (PNCF).
Besides, Mshelia explained that Keyamo recently wrote to the United Kingdom Secretary of State for Transport concerning Heathrow Airport, London for Air Peace.
He described this step as another good move by the minister, pointing out that United Kingdom (UK) with two of its carriers; British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways operating into two cities in Nigeria, had failed over the years to reciprocate the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) arrangement the country had with any Nigerian airlines going to UK and it’s currently preventing unfettered access to Air Peace to the European country.
The West Link Airline CEO, emphasised that while airlines from smaller and less competitive countries like Rwandair for instance, had continued to operate directly to Heathrow Terminal Four and connect wider destinations, reverse was the case with Nigeria, which its airlines on internationally routes had been treated like a second fiddle by the government of UK.
Mshelia pointed out that the decision of the minister to write to the Secretary of State for Transport in the United Kingdom would further garner more respect for civil aviation industry in Nigeria among the comity of nations.
The general secretary, Aviation Round Table (ART), Olumide Ohunayo, said that so far, Keyamo had been able to push “Nigeria first” in all his dealings.
According to him, apart from designating Nigerian carriers on international destinations, the minister had also protected the airlines in the same routes, unlike in the past where such Nigerian operators were abandoned to their fate by the government.
He, however, suggested that Keyamo could encourage local and foreign investors to partner with Nigerian airlines by creating the enabling working environment for investments to thrive.
But, Ohunayo advised the minister to reduce his interference in the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), lessen his travels and act in accordance with the ICAO recommendations and standards.
Aviation expert, Frank Oruye, had brought in a more transparent approach to the dealings of the ministry.
Oruye specifically mentioned the speed at which the minister addressed the controversial and the behind the scene deals of the botched Nigeria Air debacle, which was recently cancelled by the Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos as one of such examples of transparency and fervent steps.
Besides, he also commended the minister for the progress made so far with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the planned return of Emirates Airlines to Nigeria.
However, Oruye advised Keyamo not to follow the footprint of his predecessors who blatantly refused to appoint board of directors for the aviation agencies, in contravention of the Acts setting them up.
He posited that the appointment of boards for the agencies would further showcase and promote his transparent character.
Oruye appealed that just as the minister facilitated the payment of minimum wage arrears of 45 months owed to the staff of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), he also needed to address the challenges facing the staff of the defunct Nigeria Airways staff and pensioners, who he decried are still owed part-payment of their severance packages 21 years after the liquidation of the airline by the federal government.