Some aviation stakeholders on Wednesday alleged that the pressure mounted on the Presidency to re-establish another national carrier was borne out of selfish interest rather than national interest.
They say the first national carrier, the Nigeria Airways Limited (NAL), failed because government officials, especially, from the Ministry of Aviation, ran the airline aground out of selfish interest.
Mohammed Joji, former managing director of NAL and chairman of Aircraft Owners Association, who spoke on Ownership and Sustainability of Nigerian airlines at a breakfast meeting organised by Aviation Round Table in Lagos, said, “those compelling government to set up another national carrier are out to kill the airline.”
He said the indebtedness of NAL alone to foreign countries and aircraft manufacturers, before the airline was liquidated, was enough to send signals that “government can’t manage an airline successfully.”
“There is need to let government know how not to run an airline, but the attitude of Ministry officials is to bring back another national carrier for what purpose?
“For instance, when I took over as MD of NAL, I inherited $400 million, another N4 billion debt in separate places, this is different from some debts owed aircraft manufactures in aircraft purchase. Our debt is historical, there is need to let the running of airline business goes into the private hands, else, we will find ourselves in another problems,” he said.
Also speaking, Noggie Meggison, chairman, Airline Operators of Nigeria, said currently, the country lacked necessary maintenance facility that could cater to the needs of domestic carriers, adding that there would be more problems on maintenance when a national carrier was formed.
He said the establishment of national maintenance facility would go a long way in saving money back for the sector and create jobs, saying that “since NAL stopped operations, there is no third party maintenance in the country; it is difficult for airlines to survive without maintenance facility, so where will the national carrier maintain its aircraft?”
While alleging that because of the scarcity of aviation fuel in Nigeria, oil marketers were selling kerosene to them, he said the airlines had to pay for government inefficiencies as aircraft engines knock down at will.
Stephane Timpano, managing partner, Brain and Company, said there were few good examples of successful national carriers, adding that, “most of them have been failing because corruption is easy in purchasing aircraft for the airlines, there is also bad decision by government.”
Bismarck Rewane, managing director, Financial Derivatives Company, said though, national carrier was a thing of national pride but there could be several flag carriers.
There is need for government to study the economies of having a national carrier before venturing into it, he said, saying, “most countries have flag carriers but the less government ownership, the more profitable.”
Johnson Arumemi-Ikhide, managing director of Arik Airline, said it was the same civil servants who were clamouring for another national carrier that destroyed the first one.
Source:
businessdayonline.com
