Aeropolitics: Nigeria will not be caught off guard-Minister

•  Why Nigerian carriers can’t compete-Demuren

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said Nigeria would not be caught off guard by other nations using politics to prevent the country’s airlines from reciprocating the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) it has with them.

Keyamo

Consequently, the government, he said, has resolved to continue playing international aviation politics, otherwise known as “Aeropolitics,” to ensure that indigenous airlines sustain the gains already made, even as they continue to expand their routes while delivering excellent services.

Aeropolitics is a part of politics that deals with aviation, including international borders, air superiority, and related issues.

Many Nigerian carriers have continued to complain that many of the reasons they cannot compete with foreign airlines stem from the blocking of route access and plans to kill competition.

The Minister who was represented by  Director, Special Duties of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs. Obiageli Orah at the inaugural lecture organised by a former General Manager, Public Affairs of Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Sam Adurogboye, with theme, “International Aeropolitics and Survival of Nigerian Carriers’ on London Route”, highlighted the tremendous support of the government for the carriers particularly how it supported Air Peace to burst unto the lucrative London route and support for other Nigerian airlines.

A former Director-General of NCAA, Dr. Harold Demuren who was the guest speaker at the event lamented that the irony bedeviling the country’s airlines is the fact that they have the market because of a very mobile population of over 200 million people but lack the operators to compete with their foreign counterparts, describing the Lagos-London route as the seventh highest yielding route in the world.

Demuren

He, however, regretted that despite this potential, the country’s airlines still do not possess what it takes to compete with the likes of British Airways, Air France-KLM, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, Emirates and Ethiopian Airlines, among others.

His words, “The Nigerian government has designated Nigerian carriers to many destinations, but they are not operating them. At one time, Ethiopian Airlines earned 50 per cent of its ticket sales from Nigeria. The airline was then and still the country’s number one foreign exchange earner”.

“The Lagos-Abuja route is used as a feeder hub to fill foreign long-haul aircraft. Political consideration can override BASA negotiation. Foreign airlines have no competition here in Nigeria. However, we should support our airlines. You cannot be wrong supporting your own”, he added.

The former NCAA DG further stated that demand for flights on foreign airlines is leading international airlines to avoid reducing fares from Nigeria, stressing that most foreign airlines’ seats are overbooked six months before flight operations.

This, he said, makes it extremely difficult for them to contemplate fare reductions, noting that fares to London from Lagos on British Airways are more than twice those to Accra on the same equidistance.

“Foreign airlines are overbooked, hence no incentive to lower prices. Lagos-London is the highest-yielding route. It is a natural place, it is the beautiful bride. Nigeria is not fully exploiting the benefits due to capacity constraints, including interlining and partnership. Strong government support is needed to unlock full value. If you are not creditworthy, you cannot operate successful international operations”.

He reiterated that while the NCAA and FAAN can indulged airlines over the huge owed them by Nigerian carriers running into billions of Naira, same he said can’t be tolerated by countries that Nigerian carriers operate to, citing the fate of defunct Nigeria Airways which was kicked out of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) clearing house over humongous debts and poor decision of Arik Air which saw its fortune plumete over the years.

He charged Air Peace and other carriers wishing to operate internationally to learn from the bad decisions of Nigeria Airways and Arik Air.

He listed assistance in aircraft leasing, access to foreign exchange, and timely responses in times of challenges to help the government support carriers and help them survive, warning that the industry could be in distress if all airlines shut down operations; a situation that could force people to take to air travel.

Chief Executive of Belujane Konsult, Mr Chris Azu Aligbe, said Nigerian carriers were holding themselves back, adding that if they found it challenging to interline domestically, they would find it extremely difficult to join global alliances such as One World, Star Alliance, and SkyTeam.

Wole Shadare