Airline business squeezed as airport safety, security facilities lag

With the economic downturn and terror threats facing Nigeria, stakeholders in the aviation sector have expressed concern over the current state of security and safety facilities at Nigerian airports, saying the airline business is being squeezed by these challenges.

Checks carried out by BusinessDay show that aside airports in Kano, Port Harcourt, Abuja and Lagos, at 7:30pm air operations in most other Nigerian airports cease as a result of poor airfield lighting facilities for airplanes to take off or land.

John Ojikutu, secretary-general, Aviation Round Table, says this kills businesses at these airports, as they usually close operations by 7pm. If services are extended to late in the night, airports can serve as business centres, as passengers land and take off they will patronise eateries and other services.

Ojikutu says while other countries have upgraded security facilities across their airports, thereby enabling faster and easier checks, Nigerian airports still lag behind in its security technology.

“The Nigerian security apparatus at the airports is yet to rely on technology, intelligence and well-trained personnel, and as such the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) must have to fully modernise its security system and train its security personnel,” Ojikutu says.

The secretary-general says inadequacies in skilled manpower in Avsec are reasons for airlines in Nigeria to adopt secondary security screening for their passengers, carry-on luggage at extra cost. These are the costs that are passed on to passengers, which they often complain about.

Airlines estimate that night operations to over 24 airports in Nigeria would have improved airlines revenue by N12 billion. Take for example, the Lagos to Abuja airport, flights operate between the two airports till 12am every day.

Nogie Meggison, president, Airline Operators of Nigeria, says the solution to this is that government should invest in airfield lighting to ensure that every airport has runway and taxiway lights; it must ensure that every airport has instrument of landing system to ensure pilots are well guided to land, and government should also fast track the projects being built by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) to enhance safety in flight operations.

“Modern airplanes are meant to be flown 22 hours a day or 24 hours a day. So, buying all these planes and you can only fly them daytime flights will not pay the bills. It is like having a factory and telling the factory manager you can only work during the daytime. Aeroplane does not know day and night,” Meggison says.

Reports reaching BusinessDay by frequent travellers and analysts show there are still poor monitoring of perimeter fencing and lack of perimeter fencing, as most airports are built on land the host communities are yet to realise that the airport facilities are off limit, so they device ways to still have access to the property that were formally theirs.

Wole Shadare, aviation expert, says passengers have complained of multiple checkpoints at the airports, which can be reduced if there are sufficient equipment and facilities in place.

Shadare cites examples of advanced airports such as those in Paris and Dubai, which use the full-body scanner to help detect objects on persons without physical contact. This he says is missing in most Nigerian airports today.

BusinessDay checks also show that most advance airports screen passengers and their luggage using a full-body scanner metal detectors, millimetre wave scanner, Backscatter X-ray machine Explosive detection machines used include X-ray machines and explosives trace-detection portal machines.

“Those conducting the checks at the Nigerian airports are corrupt. It is not in the interest of this country. Government needs to step up in providing proper machineries and regulations so as to limit the number of checks in the airports,” Ayo Obilana, CEO, Selective Safety and Security Limited, says.

Obilana says the government needs to support FAAN to procure the necessary machines, because the machines are very expensive.

Also, Chris Aligbe, CEO, Belujane Consult, says only immigrations check passengers overseas, unlike Nigeria and some other African airports where both immigrations and customs check passengers.

“Overseas you have to arrive at the airports two hours before flight time, so that you can go through rigorous checks, so that you don’t miss your flight. Safety is the first thing everywhere,” Aligbe added.

IFEOMA OKEKE