FG begins certification of Lagos, Abuja airports, 18 firms apply for licences
* Airlines sold N330.5B tickets in 2016-NCAA
Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has commenced certification of the Murtala Muhammed Airport Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
This is coming as 18 firms have indicated interest to begin flight operations, just as the aviation regulatory body is said to be processing their all-important Air Operator Certificate (AOC). The NCAA said it has nine ‘unfirmed’ applications that are just at the level of intent.
The Director-General of NCAA, Muhtar Usman made the disclosure at a press briefing in Lagos. The briefing was held to highlight the activities of the agencies in the out-gone year.
He stated that the agency has completed phase three of the aerodrome certification and certification of air navigation service providers.
Also on the card are the auditing of aerodromes and heliports that scattered across the country.
From right, Director General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, (NCAA), Capt. Muhtar Usman, Head Public Affairs Manager, Mr. Sam Adurogboye and Director of Finance & Accounts, Alhaji Nuhu Ozigi at a press briefing on the achievement of NCAA held at Its Headquarters Annex, Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos.
The NCAA is yet to certify any of the 22 airports in the country because the airports had been unable to meet the requirements on the regulator’s checklist particularly in the area of security and safety in the last 20 years.
NCAA had never certified any airport in the country since 2006 when the law that gave it autonomy to certify airports in line with international regulations was promulgated.
Although, the Lagos, Abuja airports and other airports in the country were yet to be certified by the NCAA, regulatory officials said the situation did not mean the airports were not safe for operation.
The NCAA DG put the total value of tickets sold from January to October 2016 at N330, 548, 324, 796.84 while that of 2015 stood at N385, 909, 897, 028.80.
The dwindling revenue from that of last year compared to 2015 was due to economic recession that affected air travel and did incalculable damage to aviation.
It was a period airlines like United, Iberia stopped services to Nigeria while Emirates, Kenya and other carriers reduced frequencies. This was as a result of the reduction of the purchasing power of Nigerians as many of them shunned air travel.
He stated that the country faced so many challenges in the outgone year ranging from lingering non availability of aviation fuel, weather related operational hiccups, increased in delays and cancellations and increase complaints from domestic passengers.
He was also quick to reel out some of the achievements of the agency and the aviation sector which included development of new advisory circulars for the industry, continuous assessment of airlines’ aircraft reliability monitoring, maintenance monitoring to ensure current revision of manufacturers’ documents are used for maintenance.
He noted that beyond the challenges, Nigeria’s air transport industry retained its attractiveness, increase in Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA), adding that the number rose to 90 air pact in December 2016 from 88.
While countries are taking advantage of air services pacts and utilising them, most of Nigerian airlines designated to reciprocate the agreement are not using theirs’, making it lopsided.
Despite that, Nigeria still rakes in so much money in royalties from the additional frequencies they get from the air deal.
According to Usman, “I am really worried that Nigerian airlines are not taking advantage of BASA to operate the routes that were given to them. BASA is for airlines. Nigerian airlines would apply and the approval would be given to them to operate to these countries but they will never do that.”
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 like the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, Port Harcourt International Airport, Rivers, Enugu international airports, among others.
This arrangement, according to experts, does not encourage the growth of indigenous airlines. Many stakeholders foresee an arrangement where foreign carriers would be made to partner with the local carriers which would be solely responsible for connecting foreign passengers to their destination cities, instead of the present arrangement where a foreign airline is allowed to fly to Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Port Harcourt and so on.
Google+