Participants at an aviation conference with the theme, ‘Aviation Survivability Amidst a Challenging Macroeconomic Environment,’ held in Lagos, have acknowledged the critical need for efforts and collaboration to navigate the challenging macroeconomic environment bedevilling Nigeria’s aviation industry.
The participants, consisting of the different stakeholders that cut across aviation service providers, airlines, ground handling companies, oil marketers and other allied businesses, agreed on resolutions aimed at enhancing operational efficiency, optimise resources and ensure the industry’s long-term sustainability and growth.
The stakeholders at the conference, who focused attention on the operational efficiency and cost management as one of the factors working against the survivability of the sector in Nigeria, however, called for, among others, a prioritised streamlining process, optimising resource allocation and embracing technology to enhance operational efficiency and manage costs effectively.
Under infrastructure development, the participants made a case for investment in modern and robust airport infrastructure as a crucial tool for industry survival and growth.
Proffering solutions to the challenges of pricing and affordability, the key players called for the implementation of efficient pricing of products and services to enhance affordability, drive competition and support infrastructure development.
Importance of innovation and technology also received attention with a call for the adoption of innovative and technological approaches as key strategies for improving industry survivability.
On the need for collaborations and partnerships, the conference stressed the need for all key players in the sector to embrace partnerships, particularly amongst airlines, air navigation service providers, airports, regulatory bodies and other stakeholders to tackle industry challenges collaboratively.
Of particular worry to the gathering was anti-competitive practices such as unfair pricing, delays without refund, poor service delivery and inadequate redress mechanisms, which they said must be urgently tackled.
Policies that often lead to instability caught the attention of the participants, who called on the government to ensure policy consistency and avoid policy somersaults for the purpose of sustaining the industry.
The need for the government to create a favourable environment for business without interfering in the day-to-day affairs of the industry formed part of the topical discussions at the gathering.
Importance of industry networking equally formed part of the discussions as it encourages the aviation industry to build relationships with other sectors to boost networking and economic interconnectivity.
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