International consultant suggests new ways to move Nigeria’s aviation forward

THE Chief Executive Officer, African Aviation Services and Chairman of the African Business Aviation Association (AfBAA), Mr Nick Fadugba, has proposed a series of practical solutions to drive the Nigerian aviation industry forward.

Speaking during an aviation webinar organised by Aelex, a law firm in Nigeria, Fadugba said the proposed solutions covered four key areas of regulatory environment, airlines, infrastructure and business and general aviation.

Coronavirus pandemic, he said provided an opportunity to develop a new aviation blueprint for Nigeria which could enable the country to fulfil its full aviation potential if properly implemented.

He recommended that the federal government of Nigeria should introduce a more enabling regulatory environment for the aviation industry by immediately reviewing Nigeria’s Bilateral Airline Service Agreements (BASAs), stating that, currently, the multiple entry points and frequencies of foreign airlines are commercially disadvantageous to Nigerian airlines and do not achieve fair reciprocity.

Fadugba, called for the reduction or elimination of multiple taxes and duties on Nigerian aircraft operators and stricter economic oversight of the airline industry with mandatory monthly reporting and publishing of financial and operational data.

He particularly charged the new Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Musa Nuhu, to achieve the same success in airline industry financial and operational oversight as was achieved in aviation safety by former NCAA Director General, Dr Harold Demuren.

With respect to infrastructure, Fadugba recommended the construction of a new purpose-built airport terminal in Lagos to enable efficient hub and spoke operations seamlessly connecting international and domestic air travel, saying sufficient funding would be available based on a sound business plan.

The aviation business consultant said the proposed building of a second runway in Abuja shall provide a unique opportunity to establish a free port zone aerotropolis to develop aviation-related businesses.

According to him; “strong airport hubs are the key to air transport connectivity, which stimulates economic growth; and that modern and fully operational air transport navigation systems in Nigeria are vital for efficient services.”

The Chairman of AfBAA noted that business and general aviation were critical to economic development and therefore, should be part of the focus of the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) and the African Union (AU), as well as airlines, for example, business and general aviation are not included in the AU’s Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM).

Describing business aircraft as an important business tool and not simply luxury transport, Fadugba, said that AfBAA was advocating the implementation in Africa of the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) and International Standard for Business Aircraft Handlers (IS-BAH), similar to IATA’s IOSA policy, to achieve global standards in Africa’s business and general aviation industry.

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