Aircraft towing persists at Nigerian airports

In addition to the numerous charges airline pay to service providers, they have continued to pay ground handling companies over N985million annually to tow their aircraft into the aerobridge , which is the point to disembark passengers after landing.
BusinessDay’s checks show that in other countries, airlines taxy their aircraft into the aerobridge but in Nigeria, airlines pay to taxy their aircraft to the bridge. A business man close to the government alleged that he had personally volunteered to assist the concerned agencies fix the problem but they have refused because of the amount they realise from towing aircraft into the bridge on a daily basis.
Experts say that this development totally discourages the ease of doing business the government promised to implement across Nigeria including AT the airports. All 30 international airlines operating in Nigeria pay nothing less than N985,500,000 annually into the coffers of the Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCOL) and Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc (nahco aviance) to tow their aircraft into the Starways, which is the disembarkment point for passengers, BusinessDay’s findings show.
According to the 2017 figures from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Organisation, (NCAA) on passenger movement, international airlines operate 30flights on the average every day from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) daily. This implies that in 365days, the airports will process nothing less than 10,950 flights annually.
Ground handling companies charge airlines 250dollars per towing. This implies that airlines pay nothing less than 2,737,500million dollars every year to tow their aircraft into the finger.  This amounts to N985,500,000 using an exchange of N360 to a dollar.
This amount excludes charges airlines pay for towing the aircraft as a result of flight cancellations, delays and repairs.
John Ojikutu, member of aviation industry think tank group, Aviation Round Table (ART) and chief executive of Centurion Securities, told BusinessDay that the fingers in most of Nigerian airports were built in 1975, and no improvement has been done on them. He said apart from the fingers in Abuja airport, the ones in other airports are out-dated and may not accommodate certain aircraft types if they are taxied. Thus, the airlines have no choice but to tow them into the finger.
“Some airlines insist on using certain fingers. For instance in 2007, Airbus 340 had long wing fan and Emirates was flying Boeing 777. The two of them chose fingers that were closer to each other to park. The pilot alone cannot safely park that aircraft side by side with the other one. So, they park outside and the towing vehicle will come and tow them into the finger.
“At some other times, it is the type of aircraft and airmanship of the pilot that will determine if he parks by himself or tow the aircraft. The pilots most times do not trust the marshal’s directions, so they request for a towing vehicle to move it quietly into the position,” Ojikutu added.
He noted that there are also risks in towing the aircraft as the vehicles of the handlers sometimes hit the aircraft.
“If you hit the engine of a 777, it costs about 20million dollars. The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) should ensure handlers operate with insurance to cover their operations,” he added. However, Henrietta Yakubu, general manager public affairs FAAN told BusinessDay that towing aircraft is an extra precautionary safety measure adopted by FAAN.
Yakubu also added that some airlines prefer to park in the open bay. She also explained that space constraints make airlines tow aircraft but assured that the issue will be addressed after the construction of the new terminals.