Stakeholders Bemoan Lack Of Technical Experts, Stringent AOC Guidelines Stunting Aviation Growth

A former former managing director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Roland Iyayi and the former President Aviation Round Table Initiative (ARTI), Dr Gabriel Olowo, have identified the problems bedevilling the nation’s aviation industry as lack of technical staff in relevant aviation agencies.

Iyayi, however, identified the problems bedevilling the nation’s aviation industry as lack of technical staff in relevant aviation agencies.

Speaking at the just concluded 27th League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) Conference with the theme: ‘Aviation Industry: Changing Times, Changing Strategies’, Iyayi also bemoaned the guideline of minimum of six aircraft before an Air Operator Certificate (AOC), can be granted to intending operators.

Iyayi who is also the managing director of Top Brass Aviation Service, said that challenges are responsible for the stunted growth of the industry, saying the industry is not proactive but reactive and produces policies that stifle growth.

He said, ”There was a review and imputed that airlines will have six before they can have AOCs. I am sitting here telling you if you want to have a policy driven by the CAA to talk about airline profitability, and you are giving me a handicap, what is that?

He chided government agencies and parastatals over what he termed as skewed employment with these agencies being over bloated with non- relevant staff.

”Our agencies today are overstaffed. They are bloated why? Because for technical agencies there are not enough technical people to support people.

If the numbers are skewed where the mandate is technical yet you have more support.

”The module of how these agencies survive is actually feedback to the airlines. The airlines are the ones with the fees and charges that support these agencies.”

He, however, lamented that the industry needed some house cleaning because problems a white paper identified in 2005 are still relevant challenges in 2023 even when the solutions were there.

On his part, the former President, Aviation Round Table Initiative (ARTI), Dr Gabriel Olowo, said the industry isn’t lacking any knowledge but government sincerity in solving the myriad of challenges rocking the industry.

Olowo stated that to stop the short life span of Nigerian airlines, operators should learn from the mistakes of the past airlines that went under.

He said, “the Nigerian airlines should learn from the mistakes of the past. Go and take a case study of Bellview, ADC, Okada and many others. Look at how and why they failed. If the government was responsible for the problem, we must think, how do we handle the government?

“The government has always been the problem. They tell you, you can’t fly the flag. Air Peace has been flying the flag to Ghana, Liberia, and China now. And I am sure if you look at those routes, for them not to be in red is questionable.”

“Allen Onyema kept saying it and nobody is attending to him, until he rides into crisis, then AMCON will come, like they did to Arik and to Aero. That is not the way forward. You see in Nigeria, Nigeria does not love Nigeria except when we are playing soccer. The soccer that we don’t prepare for. Now the girls won and we are shouting. Thank God that the girls displayed their individual effort to give us a result.

“We must be result-oriented, when you are in political office, make sure the value you are adding is not to line your pocket.  Make sure the value you are adding is for posterity.”