Aero to sack 60% of workers to sustain operations

*Staff issued with redundancy letters

*Airline grapples with challenges

Nigeria’s flag carrier airline, Aero Contractors has concluded plans to sack 60 per cent of its workforce occasioned by mounting personnel costs according to the managing director of the airline, Capt Ado Sanusi.

The management of the airline said in a statement today that during the week, letter of redundancy which affected about 60 per cent of its workforce were issued.

Sanusi said Aero had been grappling with huge and unrealistic personnel cost as well as other operational challenges worsened by lack of enough aircraft to keep all the workers meaningfully engaged.

He further stated that the issuance of notification of redundancy is a business decision that will ensure Aero’s survival.

To him, the current situation where over a thousand people are basically not engaged due to lack of serviceable aircraft is not sustainable for the airline, noting that the huge monthly salary associated with a bloated workforce will eventually kill the airline, which is not the intention of the current government.

Aero Contractors currently has aircraft-to-employee ratio of 1:500, which analysts believe is perhaps the worse in the history of global airline industry.

Sanusi said government’s intervention in Aero was to save it from total collapse therefore, all steps such as this (issuance of redundancy letters) to ensure its survival must be put into consideration to save the airline.

This decision, the statement added, will immediately reduce the whooping operational cost, which has been stifling Aero; enable the management bring in more aircraft through savings from overheads, pay for C-checks as well as enable Aero have a more manageable and committed workforce in line with international best practices of 50 to 60 personnel to one aircraft unlike what obtains in Aero at the moment.

The airline chief however added that those in Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) and other essential staff in critical departments will not be affected by the notification, adding that his management team have also ensured that the affected workers will be able to access their full gratuity as well as a part of their pension just to immediately cushion the effect of the development.

“They also stand a chance of being recalled as soon as Aero increases the number of aircraft in its fleet in the near future. Before taking this critical but necessary business decision, the management of Aero consistently explained the inevitability of redundancy notification to both the workers and the unions because there was no way Aero could carry on with its over bloated personnel and huge overhead cost.”

The redundancy letter which was made available to the media read in parts, “…following the operational challenges of Aero culminating in loss of business opportunities that adversely affected company finances vis-à-vis operations, we are constrained to place you under redundancy pending a possible future review.

“This decision was communicated to the unions where their understanding was solicited in view of prevailing operational difficulties…whilst Aero appreciates your contribution to the company and continues to regard you as worthy ambassadors, we solicit your understanding as we struggle to stabilize operations and rebuild the company…” Aero Contractors also assured its esteemed customers, that this exercise will in no way affect operations, rather it will enhance safety, reliability and efficiency.”

It will be recalled that Capt. Sanusi, was recently appointed to manage Aero, which remains Nigeria’s oldest carrier with strong brand equity.

His mandate is to reposition the airline by returning it to full operational capacity, offering reliable, safe and secure operations, which the airline had been known for over the years.

Achieving that also beckons the need for critical business decisions that are both in the long-term, and overall interest of all stakeholders as well as the aviation sector in the country.

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Wole Shadare

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