NIGERIA’S position was conspicuously empty at the 80th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) that took place in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE). IATA is a clearing house for over 320 airlines spread across the globe.
Among the functions of IATA are ensuring improved understanding of the air transport industry among decision makers and increase awareness of the benefits that aviation brings to national and global economies.
The association equally advocates the interests of airlines across the globe through challenging unreasonable rules and charges, hold regulators and governments to account and strive for sensible regulation.
Apart from helping its member airlines to operate safely, securely, efficiently and economically under clearly defined rules, IATA, through professional support, provides industry stakeholders with a wide range of products and expert services.
Little wonder there are over 320 airlines on the membership of IATA around the world reaping from the array of benefits and opportunities as a way of strengthening the operational capacities of such airlines.
Becoming an IATA member also enables the airline to enjoy international partnership with airlines across the world as the airlines’ clearing house is positioned towards maintaining an international perspective and provides a unique global voice on behalf of its members as the trade association for the airlines representing more than 81 percent of total air traffic.
As strong as the position of IATA is to the survival of airlines that have what it takes to compete with the mega carriers of this world, it is expected that such airlines and the civil aviation authorities of their home countries will always be ready to participate at such gatherings like the AGM, where critical safety issues affecting global air transport are put on the burner for discussion.
At the recently concluded AGM in Dubai, over 1,450 participants, made up of airlines, aviation authorities, aircraft manufacturers, ground handlers and other related aviation representatives were in attendance to rub minds on how to rescue air transport from the present economic hardships.
It is no news that Nigeria has the highest number of airlines on the membership of IATA or on the IOSA list in the whole of West Africa, which should automatically place it and its airlines at an advantageous position when a platform like the IATA AGM offers such opportunities to compare notes with more successful airlines and aviation authorities around the world.
The IATA AGM would have offered the airlines from Nigeria, particularly those designated on the international routes, and aviation authorities to take note from airlines like Delta, Qatar and Emirates, which recently announced the revenue generation of $5.1 billion despite the tough times.
Obviously, this is the not the best of times for Nigerian airlines which are presently bleeding with their fleet size already depleted by 50 percent due to so many reasons ranging from naira devaluation, absence of maintenance facilities, instability of foreign exchange with its effect on cost of operations.
There is no doubt that many agencies and airlines that attended the meeting benefitted one or two things through the networks established with other participants.
While only God knows the excuse Nigeria and its airlines will lay hold to for not deeming it fit to participate at the meeting, kudos, however, goes to a sister African carrier, RwandAir whose Chief Executive Officer was on ground throughout networking for the African airlines.
Attending such gatherings would have enhanced the efforts of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, at convincing international companies like those in charge of aircraft leasing, insurance and manufacturers to partner the Nigerian carriers.
The ability of the airlines to come out of their cocoons will complement the efforts of the government to pave the way for them in the international market.
The inability of the Nigerian carriers to see beyond their enclave is partly responsible for their avoidance by the foreign carriers in the areas of cooperation exchange of ideas.
Absolutely, all the components that make up the air transport namely; airlines, core aviation, ground handling, airport authorities and regulators are globally inclined, hence no one can afford to be an island.
It is at this juncture that Crucial Moment is charging the principal actors in the air transport business in Nigeria to reach out to those doing the same business with them across the globe for the far reaching benefits awaiting such actions. It is said that the business of air transport is a global phenomenon.
