Nigerian airlines tackle FG over multiple entry points to foreign carriers

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3 years ago

Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) have kicked against the Federal Government’s benevolence of ‘dashing’ foreign carriers multiple landing slots, saying the idea puts the country’s airlines at a very big disadvantage.

The airlines disagreed with Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika over the loss of multiple entry points being doled out to foreign airlines with reckless abandon.

According to them, giving foreign airlines the right to fly into several locations in Nigeria could hurt the revenue of domestic airlines which would suffer undue competition from their foreign counterparts.

Representing the Nigerian airlines at the 1st Quarter of Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI) Business Breakfast Meeting held in Lagos on Thursday, the Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace and vice president of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Allen Onyema, described the idea as a form of slavery which deserves to be abolished.

However, Sirika who spoke earlier in the day at the same meeting said nothing was wrong, even though he admitted that the matter had become a bone of contention in the industry.

Just recently, Qatar Airways was granted an extra two entry points, into the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) and Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa ( PHIA) which irked domestic airlines under the aegis of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON).

The Minister, in his address delivered on his behalf by industry veteran, Group Captain John Ojikutu said granting foreign airlines multiple entries was against the Carbotage act, and that it stopped the airlines to generate the needed revenue that would help in their growth.

He also added that the pressure of forex required by airlines for their smooth operations which will help in repatriating funds is another disadvantage of the policy. Nonetheless, he argued that there are still prospects for domestic airlines.

His words: “Nevertheless, there are prospects for domestic airlines as they have opportunities for improved domestic markets by distributing International passengers for connection with these airlines. The grant of entry points to foreign airlines should also be such that they are giving multiple entries, to either Lagos or Abuja and not Lagos and Abuja, in addition, to any other airport outside the geographical area of the 1″ choice of Lagos and Abuja e.g Port Harcourt, Kano and Enugu. In this way, they do not take over all the business on all the International Airports.”

The AON in a swift rebuttal were unhappy with the response and subtly threatened court action if this policy was allowed to stand.

Onyema who represented the AON said the issue of multiple entry points was unacceptable even abroad.

According to Onyema: “How do you encourage your national airline when foreign airlines are allowed to conduct domestic operations in the name of international operations in your country? No country allows that, not even the United States with its powerful economy. Even private jets. If you fly a private jet to the United States, maybe you are going to Atlanta. If New York is nearer, you land in New York, they will allow you.

“If you take off from New York and move to Atlanta, they probably ground that plane there. Wherever you want to go in the United States, you are not allowed to fly in your private jet again as a foreigner. They make you use their own indigenous airlines. When you are leaving, you go the way you came and this is a private charter, not to mention commercial aviation.

“You allow Qatar land in Kano, from Kano they go to Port Harcourt, from Port Harcourt to Abuja and then Abuja back to their country. AON is not ready to wait another one month for this thing to be rescinded, that is the thrust of this paper I am holding, not Allen Onyema but AON. This must be rescinded. This is another kind of colonization.”

The Air Peace CEO extended gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for easing domestic airlines’ pains by giving waivers on spare parts and custom duties especially as regards importation but warned that the AON may seek redress in court if nothing is done sooner.

“I am sure that the Minister would see reasons to make amends. They know they are fooling us and what we are doing here won’t be allowed in our own country. The earlier they stop the better or else we would go to court, that is what AON has stated. But because we believe in our Minister, we are going to present this to him.

“We believe the Minister would stop this in the next 21 days. It is not an ultimatum but we believe it because of his interest in raising the bar in aviation. It is not Qatar, we have Ethiopia, Emirates and Turkish and others. Tell me with the airlines ravaging Nigeria, what is left for the local airlines to take?”

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