Experts: Foreign carriers’ multiple rights stunts local airlines’ growth

There is no way Nigerian airlines would develop if government continues to give away flight rights to foreign airlines, according to an aviation expert, Group Captain John Ojikutu (Rtd).

Ojikutu who has single-handedly taken it upon himself to criticise some of the policies of government in the absence of visible voice in the sector told Woleshadare.net that the idea, which predates the current administration should be reviewed in order not to stunt the growth of domestic airlines that are in dire straits.

He cautioned that domestic airlines would not develop when the exclusive market on domestic and regional routes are open to foreign carriers and called on the airline operators of Nigeria (AON) to champion their own cause for growth.

His words: “We have no known policy for the growth of Nigerian airlines. How can our airlines develop capacity when we allow any foreign airline to fly to all four or five of our international airports?

How can our airlines develop capacity when the exclusive market on our domestic and regional routes is opened to foreign airlines?

“Would the British allow Arik or Medview to fly to Gatwick and Heathrow the way British Airways flies to Lagos and Abuja?

Or would the United States allow Nigerian airlines to have multiple designation in the US the way Delta flies to Abuja (before they stopped for economic reasons) and Lagos?” “Worse still, which African country will allow a Nigerian airline gallivant her country the way Ethiopian Airline is gallivanting in Nigeria to all five international airports?

We need to call government’s attention to the lop-sidedness or else there will be no capacity for development for domestic airlines.”

Nigeria had last year signed Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) with Qatar, which further re-ignited the debate over the propriety of the action when the nation lacks capacity for reciprocity.

While it is a good development to sign BASA, many are worried about the wisdom in it at a time Nigeria lacks the capacity to reciprocate since it does not have a dominant carrier to also fly to Qatar.

It is not news that Nigeria currently has over 70 BASAs signed with different countries of the world, which enabled those countries to fly into Nigeria.

It was on the premise of these BASAs that foreign airlines like British Airways, Emirates, Air France/KLM, Ethiopian Airline and Egypt Air, among others, operate into Nigeria; the Nigerian market has become a haven for most of them going by the volume of ticket sales in the country.

Some have equally berated the lacklustre activities of Nigerian carriers that are yet to take advantage of the opportunities given to them by government to reciprocate the air pact.

Many Nigerian airlines do not have the resources and equipment to compete and match services to counter their European, Gulf and American airlines. Just recently, two of Nigerian’s biggest airlines Arik and Aero Contractor were enmeshed in over N500 billion debts, which necessitated the take-over of the airline, a sign that the carriers are ailing and living on life support.

A top official in the Ministry of Transportation, who spoke to this newspaper, said on condition of anonymity that Nigerian carriers are not ready to take advantage of the enormous opportunities given to them to compete with other carriers around the globe.

The source stated that government has not held them back from reciprocating the BASA, hinting that many of them had since been designated to other destinations but refused to operate.

He said it would be wicked to deny Nigerians the right to travel and the need to make it less cumbersome for them to be able to have access to international travels wherever they may be around some of the international airports.

He said Nigeria is ultimately the winner here because of the huge revenue that would accrue to government. Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) chairman, Capt. Noggie Megisson, recently cried out that two foreign airlines repatriated $2billion annually to their countries as proceeds from ticket sales in Nigeria.

He said more worrisome is the fact that these foreign airlines are allowed multiple entry into Nigeria by flying passengers to major airports in the country such as the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, Port Harcourt International Airport, Rivers, Enugu international airports, among others.

Wole Shadare