Aviation half year review: Re-engineering for positive development

The aviation industry in the first half of the year particularly the last quarter of the year did not perform too badly. However, more efforts must be put into ensuring the success of the entire value chain. WOLE SHADARE writes that the sector including airlines needs the government’s support to succeed

The aviation industry in Nigeria for many has witnessed relative stability in the second quarter of 2024 much more different from the first quarter when the drivers of the industry, the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) wobbled and fumbled especially with a no clear-cut role distinction.

However, the Minister, Festus Keyamo and the Acting Director-General of the aviation regulatory body Capt. Chris Najomo are beginning to understand that while the Minister and his Ministry are in charge of policy direction for the industry, the NCAA is saddled with the regulation of the entire sector.

Conflict of interest

This conflict of interest and the lack of understanding of what each organ plays manifested itself in the pronouncement made by Keyamo instructing the regulatory body to ground Dana Air over alleged safety infractions which the Minister was not comfortable with.

The action was met with criticisms from far and wide by stakeholders who felt the Minister was trampling on the autonomy of the NCAA.

But the second quarter of the year has brought so many positives to the industry despite the huge challenges the sector faces such as high taxes, regulatory oversight, and airlines’ difficult operating environment among others.

Some of these challenges predate the present administration. They are problems that are as old as the Lagos airport itself but which the Minister said is finding solutions to tackle.

Consumer protection needs further push

One strong area the sector has excelled is in the area of consumer protection with the NCAA wading into the Turkish Airlines face-off with the aviation unions which led to flight disruptions. The manner it was handled was highly commendable.

Aside from that, the NCAA equally swiftly moved into action when Air France passengers were allegedly left stranded in Chad due to a faulty aeroplane. The Minister and the Director, of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu were on top of the situation by ensuring the speedy return of the Abuja passengers.

The same cannot be said of domestic air travel which appeared as if the regulatory body has lost so much steam in addressing.

When Keyamo was appointed, he talked tough that his Ministry in conjunction with the NCAA would publish the names of airlines that are notorious for flight delays and cancellations without taking care of their passengers. Flight delays and cancellations have taken the joy out of air travel as passengers are kept waiting for more than six hours without notification only for the flight to be cancelled, thereby putting travellers in a quandary.

Dashed hope?

Many months after raising the hope of many, who find themselves at the mercy of the local airlines, nothing seems to be forthcoming in that direction as the Minister and the NCAA have yet to match their words with action. If anything, the silence of the regulatory body and Keyamo has further emboldened the carriers to maltreat passengers as virtually all the carriers are guilty of the practice.

ICAO audit setback

The second quarter of the year raises a lot of concerns for the sector in Nigeria especially as it concerns the relatively poor performance of the country in the March 2024  International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Universal Security Audit Programme (USAP) Continuous Monitoring Assessment (CMA) with 71% score.

Nigeria dropped a whopping 25% points from the 96% score it had in 2015, signposting serious gaps in many areas of the industry.

Surprisingly, Ghana, Uganda and Tanzania scored well above 80 per cent while Nigeria scored 71.04% in the last ICAO security audit, which lasted two weeks and ended on March 22, 2024.

Lack of adequate personnel especially in critical areas of Aviation Security (AVSEC), poor passenger facilitation, poor oversight on the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), lack of provision of guidance tools, absence of critical information, quality control obligations and resolution of security concerns in terms of deficiencies communicated, development of corrective actions and enforcement cost Nigeria the audit.

The appointment of people into critical positions without good knowledge of the roles they play is also a contributory factor as many of the agencies are littered with people who are not professionals and not well trained in areas they manage causing the decline in aviation security rating.

The USAP CMA covered areas such as Inflight Security (IFS), Passenger and Baggage Security (PAX), Acts of Unlawful Interference (AUI), Facilitation (FAL), Legislation (LEG), Training (TRG), Quality Control Function (QCF), Operations (OPS) and Cargo, Mail and Catering (CGO).

The last audit before the one in March this year was in 2015. Nigeria scored 96%, regarded as the highest in Africa, culminating in Nigeria receiving an award in 2019 at the ICAO Assembly. 

Rescuing a bad situation

Achimugu had recently justified the reason the country’s aviation sector was rated 71.04 per cent by the  ICAO, saying Keyamo, and Acting Director General of NCAA, Captain Chris Najomo corrected some inadequacies because they engaged some aviation security experts to carry out a mock audit ahead of the ICAO audit. 

Not a few had called on the managers of the sector to ensure that all the gaps noticed during the audit were closed within the stipulated period to guarantee the safety and security of the country’s aviation sector.

Last lines

In all, the signs appear a little bit positive but a lot of consistency, eyes on the ball and commitment to rectifying age-long decay could very well put the sector again to discover its potential.

Wole Shadare