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Controllers seek quick fixes for abandoned taxiway, old radar facilities, others
- Chides airline operators over unremitted charges
Air traffic controllers under the aegis of Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) have called on the Federal Government to urgently fix the Lagos airports central taxiway which they said has been abandoned for more than a decade.
A taxiway is a path for aircraft at an airport connecting runways with aprons, hangars, terminals and other facilities. They mostly have a hard surface such as asphalt or concrete, although smaller general aviation airports sometimes use gravel or grass.
The controllers also called for the replacement of the unreliable Abuja control towers lift, upgrading of the already old nations radar facilities, otherwise known as Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON), completion of the Kaduna control tower under construction to replace the burnt one and reconstruction of equally burnt Maiduguri control tower in the overall interest of air safety.
The group commended the Federal Government on the dispatch with which Abuja Airport runway was reconstructed, stressing that same zeal should be applied to decrepit facilities were abandoned for many years.
NATCA in a statement jointly signed by both the President and General Secretary Eyaru Victor and Alawode Banji respectively called on airline operators in the country to pay their charges promptly to the aviation agencies so that the nation’s aviation industry would not collapse.
The duo also appealed to the Minister of State (Aviation) and the National Assembly to prevail on the defaulting members of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) and other operators to allow good reasoning prevail by paying the charges in question and other charges as at when due.
These, they said would save the industry from impending collapse, just as they reasoned that since airline operators are paid for the services they render to the flying public, they should in turn be ready to pay for the services rendered to them by the aviation agencies.
Emphasising that the survival of the nation’s aviation industry can only be guaranteed if all stakeholders strictly play it by the rules, the aviation body noted that it is quite disheartening that some members of AON constituted themselves as clogs in the wheel of progress of the aviation industry by refusing to pay stipulated charges for the services they are provided with by the agencies.
According to them,“The AON in 2006 engaged NAMA in a legal battle on the payment of Terminal Navigational Charges (TNC) and En-route Navigational Charges (ENC). This was finally laid to rest by the unanimous judgment of the Supreme Court on February 28th, 2014 in favour of NAMA. Till date, some members of the AON refused to obey the law of the land employing different means to circumvent the judgment”.
According to the enabling Act No.48 of 1999 part III Section 7 (a), NATCA reminded that NAMAs statutory obligation is to provide Air Traffic Management systems within the Nigerian Airspace., adding that “as an IGR-sustaining Agency, NAMA derives its funding from services rendered to airspace users as empowered by part V Section II (b) (i) of the same Act.
Many air navigational service providers in the world rely on similar charges to fund their operations. This reduces the financial burden on the Federal Government, encourages rapid development and renewal of facilities in the industry which in turn enhances quality of service delivery and air safety.
“In line with international practices, aviation charges were reviewed as they relate to different services provided by each of the agencies. The 5% Tickets and Cargo Sales collected by airlines and operators on behalf of the agencies is the direct contribution of travelling public to funding the industry’s operations”.
NATCA regretted that unfortunately, the collected charges, running to several millions of naira, are not being remitted promptly by the airlines and operators who are mostly members of AON despite that they collect the charges on cash-and-carry basis.
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