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N10.4b tickets sold by foreign, domestic airlines in 6 months-NCAA
N10.4b tickets sold by foreign, domestic airlines in 6 months-NCAA Nigeria prepares for global aviation safety audit March 2015 15 nations to sign BASA with nation Wole Shadare
As haven for air transport investment, a total of 15 countries have so far indicated their preparedness to sign Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) with Nigeria. When concluded, these carriers can begin reciprocal air transport services between Nigeria and these nations.
Also, 13 others are on the threshold waiting for renegotiation of their existing air pacts.
The disclosure was made by the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Muhtar Usman at a media seminar today.
Usman put the amount of tickets sold on the domestic route from January to July this year at N2, 352, 011,595.17, with international airlines raking N8, 176, 919, 415.10 within the same period.
He revealed that the total volume of passengers airlifted from January to July 2015 by domestic operators stand at 6, 061, 740 passengers while their foreign counterpart freighted 2, 341, 748 in similar period.
He noted that this result would have been better but for the transition period and elections which always restricts wide scale travel, adding that the aviation regulatory body is putting finishing touches to the process leading to the registration of all aviation marketers.
To him, the existing one would have to regularize their operations while new entrants he said are expected to file fresh application with the same requirements.
Meanwhile, Nigeria is preparing for another Universal Safety Audit Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP), March 2016. In the last International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) safety audit, Nigeria scored 96.45 per cent.
Besides, the American Transport Security Administration (TSA) and European Union (EU) security experts have at various times scrutinized the nation’s security systems and have excelled with minimal open items.
His words, “As a matter of fact, NCAA is the only civil aviation authority in the world that has four ICAO certified auditors on its staff list. These auditors are now being invited by ICAO to join other experts to carry out audits on other countries. One of them has just returned from an audit exercise in Tanzania and Mali”.
“The country is at the concluding phase of our Corrective Action Plan (CAP) from the last security audit. Infractions and security breaches have become farfetched, as the synergy and commitment among our security agents at our airports is very encouraging. This has led to a stabilized industry”.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Aviation, Hajia Binta Bello restated the commitment of the Federal Government in setting up a nation carrier, adding that it would help in a win-win situation for stakeholders and travellers.
President Muhammadu Buhari had recently directed the Ministry to immediately kick-start the process of re-establishing a national carrier for the nation.
She stated that rather than sit in their offices at the Ministry to take decisions on the model of a national carrier the nation should operate, a ministerial committee made up of diverse professional from both the public and private sector was set up to advise the government.
The committee recently submitted its report, with the Ministry waiting for direction on government on the matter.
President, Sabre Aviation Solution System, Gabriel Olowo urged the Federal Government to support existing Nigerian airlines. He urged government to jettison the idea of a national carrier its proposing for the nation.
Olowo, who was also a director with defunct Bellview Airlines, explained that it was a policy somersault for government to consider the re-establishment of national airline 13 years after the assets of the carrier were sold.
He lamented that out of the 48, 000 seats on international flights available in the country, Nigerian airlines only gets less than 10, 000 seats, describing it as serious imbalance, urging that government needs not open her gateways to foreign airlines.
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