THE importance of having a standard aircraft maintenance facility, known in aviation circle as Maintenance Repairs Overhaul (MRO), is critical to the survival and viability of any country’s aviation sector.
The presence of an MRO to the sector plays a crucial role in ensuring that aircraft are in top condi-tion, and that passengers and crew can travel seamlessly. Without proper maintenance, even the smallest issue can escalate into a major problem, putting the safety of everyone on board at risk.
Aside the safety roles an MRO provides for an aviation sector, its commercial values to both the airlines and the sector cannot be overemphasized as it prevents capital flights that often cones up whenever airlines in the country fly their aircraft to foreign countries to maintain them with huge foreign currencies.
The availability of an MRO in the country will apart from reducing the operational cost often incurred by the Nigerian airlines through maintenance outside the country, will also attract good patronage to the country from African countries.
Presently, the major maintenance facility Africa can boast of is the Ethiopian MRO facility in Addis Ababa.
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Despite the many years of calls from the key players in the sector to the previous governments to facilitate an MRO facility in Nigeria, the desire has not been met even as the domestic carriers continue to incur huge losses on the maintenance of their fleet in foreign countries.
The challenges confronting the airlines have become compounded with the lack of access to forex coupled with the crazy fluctuations in the exchange rates between the naira and the foreign currencies.
The above scenario has led to 50 percent depletion in the number of the airlines’ fleet as some could not afford take their aircraft that are due for maintenance outside the country while others could not access the required foreign currencies needed to maintain their aircraft.
However, there seems to be hope in the horizon as the minister of aviation and aerospace development, Festus Keyamo has dropped the hint of an ongoing discussions between the government and foreign investors on move to establish an aircraft maintenance facility in Nigeria.
Speaking at a conference on the title, ‘Aviation Survivabil-ity Amidst a Challenging Macro-Economic Environment’, or-ganised by aviation journalists in Lagos, the minister while describing an MRO as the heart of the improvement of the aviation sector stressed the need to have one established in the country.
His words: “Some have spoken about the MRO. I think it is at the heart of the improvement of our local aviation industry. We need to bring in the MROs.
“People are already talking with us. I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag. Very soon, we are going to advertise and call for partnership.
“That is the only way to go. And I think we need to call in people with money. So, for our local businessmen, our banks, financial institutions, financiers, don’t say that foreigners are coming to take your business away.”
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