Nigeria route value worth $400 billion, operators fault multiple landing slots for int’l carriers

• Issue 21 day reversal ultimatum

Nigerian route value is estimated to be worth over $400 billion and one that stands to be frittered away with multiple landing slots to foreign carriers.

This has however pitched the carriers against the Federal Government as airline operators under the aegis of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) have rejected the Federal Government’s benevolence of ‘dashing’ foreign carriers multiple landing slots, saying the idea a great economic implication for Nigeria as a country.

Chairman, Air Peace Airlines, Mr. Allen Onyema who represented the AON at the 1st Quarter Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI) Business Breakfast Meeting held in Lagos On Thursday said, “Nigerian carriers believe that Nigeria’s aviation market is worth $400 billion; that is the worth of Nigerian route value”

According to them, giving foreign airlines right to fly into several locations into Nigeria could hurt the revenue of domestic airlines who would suffer undue competition from their foreign counterparts.

However, Sirika who spoke earlier in the day at the same meeting said nothing was wrong, even though he admitted that the matter had become a bone of contention in the industry.

Just recently, Qatar Airways was granted an extra two entry points, into the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) and Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa ( PHIA) which irked domestic airlines under the aegis of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON).

The Minister, in his address delivered on his behalf by Group Captain John Ojikutu (Rtd), said granting foreign airlines multiple entries was against the Carbotage act, and that it stopped the airlines to generate the needed revenue that would help in their growth.

He also added that the pressure of Foreign Exchange required by airlines for their smooth operations which will help in repatriating funds is another disadvantage of the policy. Nonetheless, he argued that there are still prospects for domestic airlines.

He said, “Nevertheless, there are prospects for domestic airlines as they have opportunities for improved domestic markets by distributing International passengers for connection with these airlines. The grant of entry points to foreign airlines should also be such that they are giving multiple entries, to either Lagos or Abuja and not Lagos and Abuja, in addition, to any other airport outside the geographical area of the 1″ choice of Lagos and Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano and Enugu. In this way, they do not take over all the business on all the International Airports.”

The operators subtly threatened court action if this policy was allowed to stand, adding that the issue of multiple entry points was unacceptable even abroad.

Onyema said, “How do you encourage your national airline when foreign airlines are allowed to conduct domestic operations in the name of international operations in your country? No country allows that, not even the United States with its powerful economy. Even private jets. If you fly a private jet to the United States, maybe you are going to Atlanta. If New York is nearer, you land in New York, they will allow you.

“If you take off from New York and move to Atlanta, they probably ground that plane there. Wherever you want to go in the United States, you are not allowed to fly in your private jet again as a foreigner. They make you use their own indigenous airlines. When you are leaving, you go the way you came and this is a private charter, not to mention commercial aviation,” he explained.

Going further, he said, “You allow Qatar land in Kano, from Kano they go to Port Harcourt, from Port Harcourt to Abuja and then Abuja back to their country. AON is not ready to wait another one month for this thing to be rescinded, that is the thrust of this paper I am holding, not Allen Onyema but AON. This must be rescinded. This is another kind of colonisation.”

Onyema thanked  President Muhammadu Buhari for easing domestic airlines’ pains by giving waivers on spare parts and custom duties, especially as regards importation but warned that the AON may seek redress in court if nothing is done sooner.

He said, “I am sure that the Minister would see reasons to make amends. They know they are fooling us and what we are doing here won’t be allowed in our own country. The earlier they stop the better or else we would go to court, that is what AON has stated. But because we believe in our Minister, we are going to present this to him.

“We believe the Minister would stop this in the next 21 days. It is not an ultimatum but we believe it because of his interest in raising the bar in aviation. It is not Qatar, we have Ethiopia, Emirates and Turkish, and others. Tell me with the airlines ravaging Nigeria, what is left for the local airlines to take?”

Former Managing Director of Nigeria Airways, Mr. Abayomi Jones Nigerian airlines have been put in the ring to box with champions or with the giants with their hands tied behind.

He added that not just even putting them against giants like David against Goliath, they are not afraid to fight with the Goliaths of the industry, but their hands need to be untied to even have a modicum of strength to fight back.

‘While Nigeria is busy opening up its airports to various foreign airlines, their counterparts elsewhere were restricting Nigerian carriers from flying into airports of their choice”.

Wole Shadare