UNTIL the Federal Government really sits up to sincerely acknowledge the role of a vibrant aviation sector not only to the economy of the country, but also its necessity to help open up the country to the other parts of the world through safe air transport, all the efforts of the core professionals the sector is endowed with may continue to suffer international embarrassment.
Obviously, no serious government in any part of the world can afford to toy with its aviation sector in view of the sensitive roles it plays; the sector usually enjoys priority position amongst the topmost sectors of any country’s economy in view of the revenues it generates to the coffers of government.
It’s no longer news that the sector is a major source of revenue generation to even some African countries like Ethiopia and Kenya hence, their determination to make air travel a primary focus on economic improvement.
The whole world is presently amazed with the impressive performance of Ethiopian Airlines just for the main reason that the continuous success of the airline has gone a long way to correct the impression that nothing good can come out of the continent particularly in airline and aviation business.
Those holding on to this negative notion may be, up to a large extent right, considering the number of airlines that had come and gone while many of those still existing are doing so standing on one leg.
While thanking God for the government of Ethiopia’s ability to get its baring well on the importance of having a well structured aviation which is responsible for its absolute success, the major reason for this feat is not far from the fact that the government has always played up the basic structural components required to make the sector, it’s airlines and other allied businesses work out.
Without doubt, the present enviable level achieved by Ethiopian in particular is not far from the understanding of the government of the country to prioritize its aviation policies. In other words the Ethiopia government like other successful governments across the world has learnt to line up its strategies according to their importance, to avoid muddling issues up.
Coming home to Nigeria, with all the brilliant brains and the natural wherewithal abound, capable of making the sector compete favourably with countries like Ethiopia, it has been one sad story or the other.
Only last week the news filtered in of how some foreign airlines diverted their Lagos bound flights into Abuja due to a faulty airfield lighting system at the Runway 18Right.
Airfield lighting systems at any airport fulfills the critical roles of ensuring that the airport remains operational at all times including at night and during adverse weather conditions.
Besides, because airfield lightings are the networks of lights and circuits that help to guide aircraft in take-off, landing and taxiing around the airfield, it automatically becomes essential to air safety.
The diversion of flights by the foreign airlines to Abuja became more embarrassing as the same safety components that led to the diversion has been lacking for fifteen years at the domestic airport Runway 18Left being used by domestic airlines which made it impossible for them to conduct night flights.
For the fifteen years the airfield lighting system at the local runway had been absent with the pleas from key players including local airlines to government to install another one, the government and the relevant authorities have continued to ignore, the clarion calls.
The continuous refusal to install airfield lighting on the domestic airport runway and the latest issue about the airfield lighting on the international airport runway has gone to further cast the doubt on the sincerity of government’s commitment towards repositioning the sector.
The confusion that has manifested in the whole scenario is that the same government that cannot install airfield lighting is putting hands into so many other new projects like airport concession, MRO and national carrier.
The questions calling for answers include: how government thinks it can successfully execute the numerous projects without tackling structural challenges like airfield lighting and of what use is an airport without safety facilities.
The plans to concession the airports and float another carrier among others can only be achieved if foundational problems and critical needs like airfield lighting are first tackled. There is no point putting hands in too many projects when the more critical and essential ones are neglected. Pursuing new projects while existing problematic ones are abandoned is tantamount to sitting on a keg of gunpowder.
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