One year ago, when Festus Keyamo resumed office as the minister of aviation and aerospace development, many casted doubts on his ability to address key issues that were almost leading to the exit of airlines in Nigeria and putting Nigeria in a bad light globally.
Stakeholders had expressed concerns on how a lawyer who is not an aviator can address key aviation safety issues in the sector.
One year down the line, actions of the minister have not only disrupted the sector, but are gradually building the confidence of investors again.
Keyamo had promised to leave no stone unturned in ensuring sanity is restored to the sector and building confidence in the minds of investors again even if it meant stepping on some toes and fighting long existing cabals.
Here are key steps taken by the minister of aviation that is bringing some revolution to the aviation sector.
Fighting cabals in the business aviation
Before Keyamo came on-board, the private jet operations in Nigeria were bedevilled by obnoxious activities of a few cabals engaging in the illegal charter operators.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had in July 2024 suspended the Permit for Non-Commercial Flights (PNCF) of 10 operators over failure to commence their recertification process.
The suspension was due to a flagrant disregard of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations 2023 Part 18.3.4 which forbids PNCF license holders from using their aircraft for the carriage of passengers, cargo, or mail for hire or reward.
As a result of flagrant disregard of this rule, the NCAA had earlier directed all holders of PNCF to undergo re-evaluation. To this end, the PNCF of the private jet operators were suspended.
This came after the minister had issued warning to holders of Permit for Non-Commercial Flight (PNCF) (private jet owners) to desist from engaging in commercial flight operations forthwith or face stiff penalties, amongst which was revocation of their Permit.
“The fact is that nobody is perfect, but I will say that there are some bold steps Keyamo has taken that no minister in the industry has done in the past. So, I give him credit for that.
“For instance, there has been a criminal gang that has been sabotaging the industry for a very long time; brokers and illegal charter operators. He is the only one who is bold enough to stop them. For me, that is the biggest kudos I can give him,” Ibrahim Mshelia, CEO, West Link Airlines said.
Mshelia stated that despite being a lawyer and not an aviator, Keyamo has performed very well so far and has shown boldness.
Payment of the trapped funds
When Festus Keyamo came on-board, backlogs of trapped funds had reached over $800 million foreign airlines’ in Nigeria.
In December 2022, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) disclosed that Nigeria was top among the five markets with blocked funds.
IATA revealed that the top five markets with blocked funds (excluding Venezuela) are: Nigeria: $551 million, Pakistan: $225 million, Bangladesh: $208 million, Lebanon: $144 million and Algeria: $140 million.
IATA had warned that the amount of airline funds for repatriation being blocked by governments has risen by more than 25 percent ($394 million) in the last six months.
The situation prompted some major airlines to reduce frequencies into Nigeria’s and blocked low ticket inventories, making the costs of tickets very high. Emirates Airline, a major UAE carrier, had to suspend flights operations in the country.
Following the efforts made by the minister, in March, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) announced that the government had cleared all ‘valid’ foreign exchange backlogs.
The move prompted Emirates airlines to announce recently that it will resume flight services to Nigeria from 1 October.
Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, who confirmed the cleared trapped funds, commended the new Nigerian government and the Central Bank of Nigeria for their efforts to resolve the issue.
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Strict adherence to BASA
Since he resumed office, Keyamo has continued to ensure strict adherence to Bilateral Air Service Agreements (BASA).
BASA is an agreement that provides for civil aviation certifications to be shared between two countries.
The minister has ensured the BASA arrangements are reciprocal by supporting Air Peace for international routes (i.e. UK) and supporting the airline for Heathrow International Airport which is still in process.
Ibrahim Mshelia recalled that some days ago, the minister wrote to the United Kingdom Secretary of State for transport concerning Heathrow Airport for Air Peace.
Mshelia who described this as “very good move” said he liked the boldness because it is supposed to be reciprocity.
“Our BASA arrangement says operation into prime airports. We have only one carrier that is going to the United Kingdom; the authority there should even give us Terminal Four, not even Terminal Three because their airlines are getting Lagos airport, which is our most primed airport, but they are pushing us in the bush through London Gatwick Airport.
“If your end destination is London, Gatwick is not a problem, but if your intention is to connect to Europe and America, then Heathrow is the best choice for you as a carrier because of the traffic you will hit along that route.
“Rwandair is flying into Terminal Four and that terminal is ten times better than Terminal Three. This is one other good thing that the minister has done and he should be commended for his stance,” he explained.
Ensuring transparency in the aviation industry
Frank Oruye, an aviation expert, said the minister has brought in a more transparent approach to the dealings of the Ministry.
Oruye said the speed with which he addressed the Nigeria Air debacle was commendable, adding that this has now been further upheld by the verdict of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.
“He made progress with the UAE stalemate. However, the cost of acquiring a visa to that nation is rather exorbitant. Nigeria is partly to blame on high visa costs, being something our government seems to treat as a commodity.
“The commencement of Air Peace operations to England is commendable, after all the blockage from the previous regime. Still remains to shift the base from Gatwick to Heathrow, which reports in the papers state that the minister is about to address,” he said.
Stoppage of Nigeria Air
Keyamo was able to stop the controversial ‘Nigeria Air’, reiterating the need for a transparent and accountable process.
Mohammed Badamasi, Ex- Nigeria Airways Pilot said the current minister of aviation, inherited many issues when he assumed office, including the the controversial Nigeria Air project, concessioning of four airports, flight delays, cancellations, shortage of serviceable aircraft, multiple destinations, taxation, dollar security and repatriation, airport land encroachment, rising airfares, touting and hawking.
However, the minister was able to address these major problems as he strengthened the security arrangements at the airports, and successfully stopped airports’ land encroachment.
Improved infrastructure
Keyamo has helped to facilitate the re-opening of the renovated E-arrival Wing at the old Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos for passengers’ use.
Procurement of scanners for five airports
A few months ago, Keyamo received the approval of the Federal Government for the procurement of modern scanners for use in five international airports across Nigeria.
The airports are the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA) and Enugu International Airport, Enugu.
The intent of the airport scanners is to put an end to airport officials having to physically search the bags of passengers going through airports. It can also detect explosive devices, contraband drugs and others.
When the scanners eventually arrive, installed and put to use, it would reduce the complaints of harrowing experiences that passengers go through at the international gateways where the airport officials of various agencies have to physically search their bags.
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Reopening of 18R 36L runway of Lagos airport
Airline operators in the country, especially the foreign airlines, were exposed to extra burden for 11 months due to the closure of the 18 Right 36L runway of the Lagos airport for maintenance purposes.
Facilitating second runway for Abuja airport
Recently, Festus Keyamo led a high-profile delegation to Helsinki, Finland, and Vienna, Austria, for critical factory inspections and familiarisation meetings with two of the world’s leading aviation infrastructure equipment manufacturers, Vaisala and Frequentis AG for the supply of infrastructural equipment for the construction of the on-going Abuja second runway.
The collaborative approach is expected to significantly improve the efficiency of air traffic management and weather forecasting in Nigeria.
“This visit is a crucial step in ensuring that our aviation infrastructure is equipped with the latest technologies to enhance safety and efficiency. The partnerships we are forging with industry leaders like Vaisala and Frequentis AG are vital for the successful implementation of our projects, such as the Abuja second runway,” Keyamo had said.
Reducing touting activities within airport environments
The aviation minister has continued to invest funds in ensuring the airport environments are conducive for travel. One of the ways he tries to achieve this is through the reduction of touts and touting activities within the airport environments.
The minister recently dedicated a task force to help eliminate touting, extortion, and illicit activities at the airports.
The minister has further dedicated phone lines and QR codes to provide passengers with a means of providing feedback on their airport experience.
The aviation minister is also working with FAAN to situate magistrate courts across airports to prosecute touts, lawbreakers.
Way forward
Stakeholders in the aviation sector have said while the minister continues to pursue worthy developments for the sector, there are few things that should be taken into consideration to make the growth sustainable.
Olumide Ohunayo, general secretary, Aviation Round Table said following the minister’s push for growth of domestic carriers, there is a need to get investors to partner with these airlines and that has to do not only with the minister now but with corporate governance, the economic interest rates and all other indices that would attract the investors to come into the sector.
He said the minister should use this one year to sit down with the players and assess himself, adding that the minister has done well in some areas and he needs to improve in others.
Conclusion
Keyamo is a round peg in a round hole. He has rolled up the sleeves of his shirt for hyper-performance. So far, he has shown everyone that he is ready to work the talk, foster collaboration with Nigeria and other countries, while also placing emphasis on seamless travel experiences for airport users.
With the current determination propelled by Keyamo, the Nigerian aviation industry would be a force to reckon with in the global aviation industry as strict adherence to standards and recommended practices by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) is taking the centre stage.
