Stakeholders in aviation are not comfortable with the thought of an African Single Sky, describing it as a plot by Ethiopian Airways to dominate flights from Lagos and Abuja to other parts of the world without a Nigerian carrier in sight to compete.
Recently, Aviation Minister, Osita Chidoka, assembled industry players at the Oriental Hotel, Lekki, Lagos for the public presentation of his Aviation Commit Initiative.
He described the document as “a compendium of the industry’s commitments and initiative aimed at repackaging, rebranding and redirecting the industry towards enhanced service delivery and customer satisfaction.”
Chidoka directed members of the Committee on Accident Report and Aeronautical Charges to liaise with aviation agencies for an accelerated implementation of their findings.
He said Aviation Commit is part of the wheels that will propel his yearning to transform the industry and directed private airlines and private jet owners doing commercial business to regularise their operations or be grounded by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
“We will publish their names and we are saying that none of them will be on our airspace if they do not regularise their operations. We hope they will all come under this regulatory purview,” he warned.
He directed all airlines operating in Nigeria without a Nigerian pilot to employ one or two before July 1, 2015 or face sanction from the NCAA, saying the nation can never grow without the active participation of Nigerians.
Chidoka urged airlines to train and retrain their staff to keep up with the global standard, adding that domestic airlines have to train their pilots yearly besides meeting other requirements in the Civil Aviation Act before they can renew their airline operator’s certificate.
He promised to address the issue of foreign airlines and the disparity in fares offered by local airlines, and also spoke on the recapitalisation and liberalisation of airlines on the continent, tagged African Single Sky.
These ideas are contained in the Civil Aviation Act but they have not been implemented.
Industry watchers have asked questions such as, does the NCAA deliberately look the other way while things get out of hand? and what makes private jet owners so powerful that no minister can curb their excesses?
However, aviation analyst, Olumide Ohuanyo, cautioned the government on some aspects of the new policy likely to be detrimental to the growth of the industry.
His words: “I want to reiterate my humble disagreement with recapitalisation as the panacea for the problem of our airlines. It will only ensure we once again progress in error and deceit.
“These airlines, in conjunction with their bankers, will prefer to see the airlines limping than being taken to the theatre for surgical operations.
“We must abort the fanciful flight of recapitalisation and board the fleet consolidation by regulation flight that will move minimum fleet from two to 10. Fleet is a physical asset that can be seen and verified, it will sanitise operations while improving safety and profitability.”
Ohuanyo urged Chidoka to proceed with African Single Sky softly, slowly, and diplomatically because it will only make indigenous airlines more vulnerable.
“Liberalisation in the skies is a different ball game entirely. It is usually documented and encouraged but opaque in implementation. The United States, the proponent of open skies, has refused to sign it with China, while the unions and airlines are asking them to review that of the gulf carriers.
“The pressure from American carriers has delayed the take off of Norwegian low cost carrier from Dublin to New York despite meeting all the regulatory laws and conditions.
“Nigeria signed open skies agreement with the U.S. and had a five-year head start which was frittered away till this moment because the decision was hasty with no carrier(s) to benefit from it.”
He alleged that the African Single Sky is the brainchild of Ethiopia Airlines, the strongest and most profitable in Africa, to enable it operate flights to Europe, the Far East, and America from Lagos and Abuja.
“It’s a subtle cabotage that will make us the usual sitting giant. Nigeria is simply not ready neither do we have an airline that can represent us at the moment, we should tarry a while and learn from previous mistakes.”
Ohuanyo, who spoke the minds of other critics, said some of the initiatives by Chidoka are laudable but warned that they may be hindered by poor implementation.
