A Nigerian aircraft engineer and ex-president of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), Comrade Isaac Balami, has revealed how the aviation sector is succeeding through the use of local engineers in the maintenance of aircraft.
Addressing the media on the current safety measures in the aviation sector, Balami, the CEO of the 7 Stars Global Hangar and 7 Stars Global Airline believes that Nigerian engineers are as professional as their foreign counterparts and were working assiduously day and night in order to ensure the safety of the sector.
According to him: “We have been so busy to see how we can support the aviation industry across West Africa. In the area of maintenance, we have a couple of airlines that we are doing checks for right now and the demand is actually increasing. We are busy trying to meet up with the demands because they are actually so huge right now.
“An airline alone is giving us about 10 to 12 aircraft, so in the next 12 months, and by the time we look at all the airline operators who are giving us aircraft, we are looking at about almost 30 aircraft in the next 12 months. That’s huge.
“So we are trying to talk to our foreign partners to see how we can expand our capability and to also expand our manpower, tools, and others. It’s quite a busy moment for us at 7 Stars Global Hangar,” Balami said.
Speaking on his new airline, the 7 Stars Global Airline, he said his team was set to launch helicopters and charter aircraft.
Balami said, “We are hopeful to launch our helicopters and private aircraft charter very soon. Hopefully, by next month, we should be launching. We have been able to renew all our aircraft manuals in the Civil Aviation and we are now at the final stage of demonstration where we can be issued Air Operators Certificate. We have already got the Air Transport License since last year.”
He said with their coming into the Nigerian aviation market, they should be able to support other sectors of the economy including the oil and gas sector.
“The aircraft are now on the ground and we hope to support the oil and gas sector, sports charter here and there, state governors’ movements, most especially with the disturbing security challenges in the country now.
“There is a need for proper surveillance. We have about seven helicopters that can support those who are actually interested either for political campaign or for security surveillance, etc,” he stated.
