Stakeholders call for workable policies to grow aviation sector

Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, National Assembly and other aviation agencies are working to review and amend all the aviation agencies’ Acts to provide effective management of services.

This development is also to help align with modern technological development in line with international best practices and development in International Civil Aviation.

Hadi Sirika who was represented by Akin Olateru, the commissioner, Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), at the just concluded League of Airports and Aviation Correspondents, LAAC, 25th Conference at the Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja said the two legislative houses have held public hearings on the matter and at the stage of finalisation of their report.

The minister said the review of the Acts include the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority Act (NCAA) 2006; Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria Act 2010; Nigeria Airspace Management Agency Act 1999; Nigerian College of Aviation Technology Act, 1964; Nigerian Meteorological Act, 2003; and Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau Act, 2019.

Musa Nuhu, the Director-General the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, (NCAA), assured that the regulatory agency was working assiduously to ensure that all stakeholders including the airlines would have cause to smile when all its plans have been completed.

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Nuhu said the NCAA was working on ensuring effectiveness and efficiency of its statutory function of its safety oversight.

He listed some of the actions taken by the CAA to include streamlining its directorates from 8 to 6 for a more responsive and flexible functionality; automation of internal processes through the implementation change management and acquisition of appropriate ICT systems which was ongoing.

He also mentioned that the authority is reviewing and repositioning its regional offices as a tool to ensure oversight coverage of the entire nation and bringing the authority closer to all stakeholders.

Others he mentioned are; “domestication of all inspector mandatory core courses, stakeholders’ consultation to review the current Nig.CARS to align with the new Civil Aviation ACT taking into consideration new normal to promote the orderly growth of the industry especially General Aviation is key to a successful industry.”

Allen Onyema, chairman Air Peace and vice chairman, Airline Operators of Nigeria, (AON) who also spoke at the conference said failure of airlines were often blamed on poor management structure but stressed that, it was much more than that as policies were also a major problem of the airlines.

He said, there were myriads of problems confronting the sector and presently things were evolving for the better.

“Government policies in the recent past had been better compared to what we had in the past. The present government has done well in the area of policy such as customs duty waiver on aircraft spare parts and VAT and others that are favourable to the airlines,” he said.