NUATE decries surge in wet-leasing, labels it threat to Nigerian jobs

• Seeks overhaul of NAMA’s ageing navigational aids

The National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) has increasingly raised alarms about the prevalence of wet leasing (ACMI: Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance).

While wet-leasing offers a quick fix for domestic airlines facing capacity shortages, it is viewed by organised labour as a structural threat to the long-term viability of the Nigerian workforce and the integrity of safety standards.

NUATE’s primary concern centres on the systematic displacement of indigenous professionals. Because a wet-lease includes the lessor’s own crew and engineers, local jobs are effectively bypassed:

Qualified Nigerian pilots, cabin crew, and engineers, the group said, remain unemployed or underutilised while foreign crews operate domestic routes.

National President of NUATE, Ben Nnabue, in a statement to mark Workers’ Day, lamented that these contracts displace qualified Nigerian pilots, engineers, and cabin crew, bypass our collective agreements, and create a two-tier system where foreign crews operate under foreign rules in our airspace.

He equally stated that this undermines safety oversight, exports jobs, and erodes decades of local capacity building.

He said, “We must state unequivocally: wet-leasing is dangerous to Nigerian aviation. With the calibre of licensed professionals and AOC holders we have, it is indefensible that domestic carriers still wet-lease aircraft under arrangements that violate Nigerian labour standards.”

“These contracts displace qualified Nigerian pilots, engineers, and cabin crew and bypass our collective agreements, and create a two-tier system where foreign crews operate under foreign rules in our airspace. This undermines safety oversight, exports jobs, and erodes decades of local capacity building.”

“We demand strong policies discouraging wet-leasing and mandating the prioritisation of Nigerian personnel and AOC holders”, he added.

By relying on foreign maintenance (the “M” in ACMI), local engineers miss out on hands-on experience with modern aircraft, thereby stifling the growth of indigenous technical expertise.

Trends in wet-leasing often involve atypical contracts or self-employment for crews, which lack the social protections and stability of direct employment.

Not a few believe that the surge in wet-leasing is driven by the severe profitless growth paradox in Nigeria.

As of late 2025, over 75% of aircraft operating in Nigeria were wet-leased, largely because local carriers cannot access the foreign currency required for dry leases or outright purchases.

In response to these concerns, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) sanctioned the creation of a Nigerian Aircraft Leasing Company in April 2026.

This initiative aims to shift the industry toward dry leasing, which allows Nigerian airlines to use their own local crews and maintenance teams while leasing only the hull.

The NUATE President urgently appealed to the Federal Government for a special grant to overhaul the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA)’s ageing navigational aids and procure the most reliable radar system in the world from Indra of Spain.

He noted that this has become necessary to safeguard the integrity of Nigeria’s airspace architecture.

He recalled the fire at Murtala Mohammed International Airport that destroyed the communication systems, adding that there is an urgent need for a complete overhaul of the communication architecture to avoid blind spots in the air, in the interest of the safety of the flying public.

“We urge the Federal Government to treat this as a national security and economic priority. Airspace safety directly impacts tourism, trade, and Nigeria’s aspiration to be a regional aviation hub”, he said.

Nnabue further stated that it is extremely saddening that the issue of outstanding entitlements to ex-workers of the defunct national carrier, Nigeria Airways, remains unresolved.

He acknowledged and commended the tremendous efforts of the Minister of Aviation and the firm commitment expressed by the Minister of Finance to liquidate this long-standing debt owed to the pensioners.

He stated, however, that it is disheartening that bureaucratic delays by other public servants continue to prolong the suffering of fellow Nigerians who gave their productive years to this nation.

“These are elderly citizens, many in poor health, who have waited decades for what is rightfully theirs. Justice delayed is justice denied. In the coming days, NUATE will intensify engagement with officials of the Federal Ministry of Finance to facilitate the immediate settlement of these entitlements. We must lay the ghost of Nigeria Airways to rest — with dignity, and without further delay.”

Wole Shadare