Air Commodore Onitiju(rtd)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Aviation Safety Round Table  has advocated preferential interest and exchange rate to incentivise the aviation sector in Nigeria.

In addition, tax holidays and rebates for fresh entrants who operate low- fare carrier flights together with the removal of charges at dormant airports could catalyse growth in the sector.

ART President,Air Commodore Ademola Onitiju(rtd) gave the advice in his welcome address at the 3^rd Quarter Buisness Breakfast Meeting  with Theme:Nigerian Aviation Sector Charges,Duties&Tariffs:Truly Exorbitant? In Lagos.

He said that the Nigerian government must be deliberate in the creation of the needed conducive environment to provide a level-playing field, strengthen local airlines and encourage serious investors to come into the sector to boost capacity and international competitiveness.

According to him, our charity must begin at home. We must strengthen Aviation agencies and allied institutions through an aggressive and purposeful master plan for human capital development to include the re- engagement of retired but mentally agile experienced technical personnel to address the extant  deficit of inspectors and regulatory enforcement personnel as a short-term measure.

On the international plain, he said  a purposeful citizen and economic diplomacy should be pursued with vigour to ensure that Nigerian flag carriers mandated to utilise Nigerian frequencies in Air Service agreement are emboldened, supported and equipped by the Nigerian government to overcome obstacles and aero politics associated with the venture.

He is of the view that  Desk officers at the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Justice and Aviation must be roused from their injurious slumber.

The focus of the government,he continued, should not, strictly speaking, be that of seeing aviation as a revenue generating sector. Rather, it should be seen as a catalyst, an enabler of socio-economic growth and development.

“ The Nigerian aviation sector presently supports over 240,000 jobs directly and indirectly while contributing over $1.7 billion US Dollars to the economy.”

Commodore Onitiju told participants that ART has been at the forefront of the advocacy for the Nigeria aviation sector to realise its full potential .

He informed the gathering that members of ART   have posited severally that transparency and strict adherence to due process  should be paramount in all spheres of activities in the sector.

“Towards achieving these, we submitted that a Presidential Executive Order could authorise the NCAA to increase the fleet size of airlines operating scheduled services leveraging the instrumentality of synergy, collaboration and merger. “

“We also recommended the adoption of code share and interlining agreement among airlines to improve passenger comfort and satisfaction. In order to facilitate ease of payment, reimbursement and funds recovery, we advocated the adoption of one – ticket- all destination ticketing method.”

He disclosed that a  dedicated Aviation financial Clearing House was recommended to smoothen the process.In order to minimise incidences of flight delays, cancellation and the menace of bird sand wildlife strikes at airports with attendant cost, consequences and passenger discomfort,the ART suggested the acquisition and utilisation of hi-tech machines capable of circulating air scented with aromas that repel birds as obtainable at the Chicago O’Hare Airport,he added.

 

“We further suggested the intensification of the construction of perimeter fences around the airports. The short lifespan circuit of Nigerian  airlines has been largely attributed to the absence of good corporate governance practice of transparency, accountability and responsibility in the running of the airlines.”

 

“ It is our view that there is an urgent need for an ethical review of the behaviours of airline operators in Nigeria. Good corporate governance tame bad acquisition policy, poorly considered  route expansion and other malfeasance often manifested in the management of Nigerian airlines.”

 

 

The former Nigerian Air Force officer stated that  Aviation is international business that requires mutual respect and cooperation of all parties respecting national interests and economic boundaries.

 

“The ART has recommended a review of the over 92 Bilateral and  Plurilateral Air Services Agreement signed by Nigeria with a view to prioritising Nigeria’s national interest. The Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the recent Yamoussoukro Decision 24^th Anniversary  and other air services liberalisation Agreements together with the conclusions reached at the on-going  global climate Conference of Parties (COP) 28 in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) should be subjected to scrutiny and strategies adopted to maximally protect Nigeria’s aviation interest. “

 

He said the body language of fossil fuel producers at the COP 28was that of a counter argument that its carbon emissions constituted a not too significant quantum to global warming. This is debatable.

 

Keen observers of activities in the Nigerian aviation sector,he said further, might have heard of the controversies that trailed the recent submission by some participants at both local and international aviation events to the effect that charges at Nigerian airports especially Abuja and Lagos Airports were among the most prohibitive in the world.

As with most issues deserving of attention,” we decided to gather a respectable collegiate of knowledgeable individuals and organisations to interrogate the subject of Charges and Tariffs as applicable in the Nigerian Aviation Sector.”

He said that  conclusions reached from the meeting will enable both industry players and policy makers to better appreciate the place of charges and tariffs in aviation.