Key players roll out expectations for 2023

As Nigeria joins the world to welcome the year 2023, key players across the country’s aviation sector have voiced out their expectations and the kind of outlook they want for the sector.

Coming out of the previous year with its lorry load of uncertainties, the key players can only imagine a better experience for the sector through the government and its officials.

Many of the players who spoke to the Nigerian Tribune and in setting their targets agreed that many unpopular policies rolled out by the government without following due process further became the Achilles heels of the sector.

Therefore, to create a better atmosphere for a more robust business and safety environment, many stakeholders have identified the major areas they want the government to focus attention on in the new year.

In the new year, the Managing Director of Centurion Aviation Security Service and a former military commandant of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Group Captain John Ojikutu, (retd) advised the government to focus more on the policy development and regeneration enforcement of the sector.

Ojikutu said, “Government administration is more of policy development and regeneration enforcement of the sector and not about business participation in the sector which brings the government into competition with the people it is elected to promote and protect.

“Yes, the government can invest in the public market but such a market must allow the Nigerian people access into the same market to monitor how their taxes are being used. That is why the flag carriers and airports’ concessions must be publicly sold in the capital market for the Nigerian people and not to a few on the tables of those in the administration of our government and agencies.”

The security expert called on the government to come out boldly in the coming year with at least two flag carriers and do away with the idea of a government carrier that is being sold to Nigerians as a national carrier.

“We must support this with a very clear policy for flag carriers that the benefits must be national and not only to the operators. They must however sell shares to the public in the capital market.

“Secondly, the government must review the commercial agreements that give multiple destinations to foreign airlines and give no commercial benefits to the domestic airlines. The review could give multiple frequencies to the foreign airlines not to Lagos and Abuja simultaneously but either to Lagos or Abuja and any other airport not in the same geographical zone with the airport of first choice,” he said.

On the concession plans which took the centre stage in the past year, Ojikutu said, “Concession of the airports to investors, foreign and local, is very necessary and should be fast tracked to remove pressure on the government intervention funds for the sector.”

“With over five million international passenger traffic and 80 percent air traffic alone, the international airports can earn substantially to sustain their operations and development. However, the government can from time to time provide intervention funds for project development but such funds must be recoverable.”

He however cautioned against the idea of aerotropolis development within any airport especially the planned development of the FAAN and NAMA headquarters in Lagos, saying this “can only complicate the traffic on the only terminal service road that has been turned to a public road for transiting traffic between Ikeja and Apapa and return. Aerotropolises are developed between the airports and the urban development area.”

Speaking on his expectations in the new year, an aircraft maintenance engineer, Mr Sheri Kyari, called on the government to address the issue of expensive and non-availability of aviation fuel while suggesting that the airlines should be supported by direct subsidy.

He emphasised the need for the government to make forex available to airlines just as the government should consider provision of aircraft maintenance hangars otherwise known as MROs to help in the reduction of losses incurred by the airlines in the cause of flying out their aircraft outside the country for maintenance which would subsequently prevent any maintenance compromise.

While making the plea for support to domestic airlines to take on international routes where they can also earn foreign exchange to augment their operations, Kyari made a case for the construction of the second runway at Abuja airport.