The Director, Strategy, Zenith Travels, Mr. Olumide Ohunayo disagreed with the committee on the merging of the debtor airlines to Asset Management Company of Nigeria, AMCON, to form a major carrier and its recommendation to the presidency on recapitalisation exercise to indigenous carriers.
Ohunayo told journalists that the submission of the committee on debtor airlines to form a major carrier was wrong, stressing that the debts of most of the airlines were more than their liabilities.
He added that the taking over of Aero Contractors some few years ago by AMCON due to debts had not helped the fortune of the airline, rather, its operations had continue to nosedive.
It would be recalled that the Federal Government through AMCON currently had 60 per cent share in Aero while the Ibru’s family retained 40 per cent, but its fleet had since reduced from 12 at takeover period to about five at the moment.
Ohunayo insisted that the resuscitating medication by AMCON was not working and advised to look inward for other options such as advertising for buyers or shop for turnaround airline experts not unemployed expatriates to help the recovery process before a merger.
He added, “Aan outright merger now will be counterproductive and a subtly subsidy for families who mismanaged their airlines using funds from banks owned by Nigerians.”
On the committee’s recommendation to the government on the under-utilisation of routes, the aviation analyst said this was a good initiative, stressing that the airlines focused much on the trunk routes leaving other domestic routes to a flight or two per day.
He opined that the under-utilised routes could be improved upon if the airport facilities were pulled to extend operational hours, by drastically reducing charges and fees at such airports and by also giving interested airlines some Incentives.
“It’s the joint responsibility of the Federal and State Governments to attract flights to those airports, with the Federal Government taking the lead. If we improve facilities and increase operational hours it will benefit our airlines, passengers and the economy at large,” he said. Ohunayo further condemned the recapitalisation recommendation for the indigenous airlines, describing it as progression in error.
Rather, he suggested that the government could use fleet as the barometer of measurement by moving it from the current minimum of two aircraft to 10 aircraft for domestic and West Coast routes and minimum of 12 aircraft for international routes.
Culled from National Mirror
