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Group seeks private sector driven national airline
Aviation pressure group, Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ARTI) said in the light of recent disturbing development in the aviation sector and the opaque conceptual issues attached to the establishment of national carrier, they have decided to throw their weight behind the project.
President, ARTI, Mr. Gbenga Olowo said they would only do so if the floating of the airline would be devoid of government financial input but driven strictly by investors.
He noted that government should provide the necessary enabling ground and aero-political support environment for the proposed carrier.
Olowo disclosed that ARTI support for this project is hinged on their recognition of the desirability of a national carrier the observed floundering of the flag carriers on the international routes.
These shortcomings, he, reiterated are traceable to weak government policies and poor negotiations skills in various agreements.
For the proposed carrier to survive, he said it should be granted full compliments of the appropriate status, independence to be the arrow head in the implementation of operational issues arising from Bilateral Air Services Agreements (BASAs) and Multilateral Air Services Agreements (MASAs) to which Nigeria is a signatory unhindered by any concessions or agreements however made.
His words, “All existing concessions and agreements from which benefits are being derived by any person or corporate bodies capable of impinging on the operations of the proposed national carrier shall cease forthwith at the inception of the national carrier”.
“Any outstanding obligations arising from agreements made prior to the emergence of the national carrier/s must be renegotiated between the national carrier and such flag carrier which will be supervised by the regulator NCAA”, he added.
He called on the Federal Government to ensure that very knowledgeable aviators with cognate experience are selected to midwife the birth of the new national carrier with composition of governing board of directors with proven track records of success in the aviation industry.
He equally advised that the berthing process should last for a period not less than three years from inception.
According to him, “The national carrier should start with a fleet of ten to fifteen aircraft and shall be mandated to utilize the proceeds of all allocated frequencies strictly for fleet expansion and capacity building. This shall be monitored for compliance by NCAA”.
Existing operators in the industry, he noted, should be afforded the opportunity to observe and participate in the proposed national carrier project within stipulated guidelines and transparent process
He called for the review of BASAs & MASAs with the objective of renegotiation where established to be unfavourable to Nigeria’s national interest.
