Udoh, Ogbebor raise concerns over aviation manpower shortage

..Urge Govt to fill yawning gaps

Experts in the aviation industry have expressed grave concerns about the significant manpower shortage in the entire sector and have called for an urgent need to address it.

 Among the experts who spoke to Aviation Metric on the sidelines of the 9th Xplore Aviation Career Conference in Lagos was a former Managing Director of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nnamdi Udoh, who said that the authorities must fill that deficit either by vigorous recruitment annually.

 Udoh, who was concerned about the critical shortage of air traffic controllers, which is not limited to Nigeria alone, stated that the government should retain the services of some retiring air traffic controllers not as workers but as trainee consultants to keep the system working and to mitigate the inherent danger of not being able to fill the gap.

Globally, a significant labour shortage is looming over the global aviation sector, according to Boeing’s recently published Pilot and Technician Outlook 2025.

 The company estimates that by 2044, the industry will need approximately 2.37 million new professionals worldwide to maintain and operate the commercial aircraft fleet in line with long-term air traffic growth.

 Over the next two decades, demand is expected for 660,000 new pilots, 710,000 maintenance technicians, and 1 million cabin crew members.

 About two-thirds of this workforce need will stem from retirements and natural turnover, while one-third will be driven by fleet expansion. Much of the demand is linked to the growth of single-aisle aircraft.

 He said, “The truth remains that manpower development is a continuous thing. In all of this, if one of them misses the link, it will start to appear. If you recall, at some point in NAMA, we were training air traffic controllers to be pilots and area radar controllers; we went to South Africa. After that, somebody must sustain it. When people come and there are other agendas, but whatever the different agendas, it interrupts human capacity and development, there will be a gap.”

 “That is why when a certain year comes, air traffic controllers retire at the same time or in three months, certain people will retire at the same level. It is now difficult to fill their spaces because we were not replacing them as we are employing, and also not training them as we are going on.”

 “I have continuously insisted that, as some people leave, keep them in the system to continue to train, not as workers but consultants. That is the main issue. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) should also be able to assume this oversight function to specify replacement materials for the next five years.  They need to show them”, he added.

 The Chief Executive Officer of MamaJ Aviation Consult Limited, Joy Ogbebor, who is also the event’s convener, stated that the sector’s manpower shortage should concern every stakeholder.

 She referred to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) ‘s “Next Generation of Aviation Professionals” (NGAP), an initiative aimed at addressing the future workforce needs of the aviation industry.

 The initiative’s goal is to attract, educate, and retain a sufficient number of qualified professionals, as a large portion of the current workforce is nearing retirement.

 Key challenges include a shortage of talent, competition from other industries, and a lack of awareness about aviation career opportunities.

 The initiative was launched in 2009 and later elevated to an official ICAO Programme to ensure there is a sufficient supply of skilled personnel to operate, manage, and maintain the future international air transport system.

 Ogbebor said, “That is what this platform is doing. You can attest to the fact that I tend to bring in professionals so that they can share their expertise.  If we do not take action now, we will face a shortage in the near future, regardless of our preferences.  This platform is helping to bridge the industry’s gap.

 She further explained that the annual aviation career initiative is a mentorship platform whereby the upcoming young ones can be groomed on various career opportunities in the industry, explaining that what actually made her to kickstart the platform was because of the deluge of messages she received from young people asking her questions that they want to be pilot, cabin crew and how do they start or how to change their career from one industry to another.

 “Initially, I thought it was something that would be easy for me to do. At a stage, I realised that having to respond to many people at the same time would be tough. It made me think about how I can reach out to so many people at the same time. I realised that creating a platform helps me to bring all of them together and allows them to meet the professionals in the industry.

 “There is nothing as good as being mentored by people who have passed through the process. Over the years, I have been able to achieve this, and it has had a significant impact in the industry. It has brought so many young people to the industry. They are not able to chart a path for themselves”.

Wole Shadare