Nigeria: Fund Crunch Hits Airlines, As Experts Fear More Air Disasters

By Chinedu Eze

Aviation industry experts have expressed fears that Nigeria may witness more air accidents, as some airlines now compromise scheduled maintenance of their aircraft due to paucity of funds.

THISDAY learnt that some of the new airlines that recently obtained Air Operator Certificates (AOCs) have started compromising compulsory aircraft checks, schedule dates for pilot and cabin crew training, owing to lack of funds. It was also learnt that due to huge indebtedness, some new entrants in the aviation industry have been unable to pay workers' salaries and could also not meet their financial obligations to companies that provide services to them.

Worried about the situation, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) last week directed the airlines to offset their debts and pay their workers, failing which they would be grounded.

Aviation experts noted that the remote cause of the last two air crashes in Nigeria was poor maintenance of operational aircraft. Dana Air flight 992 crashed in Lagos on June 2, 2012, killing 153 people. The aircraft crashed into a furniture works and printing press building in the Iju-Ishaga neighbourhood of Lagos after the aircraft's two engines failed.

Also, on October 3, 2013 Associated Aviation Flight 361 was on a domestic charter flight service when it crashed on takeoff at the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos, on its way to Akure Airport, Ondo State.

Industry experts are worried that the same ugly signs have started showing up again, noting that one of such signs is the seeming indifference on the part of the NCAA when airlines are unable to maintain their aircraft.

The regulatory role of NCAA involves the monitoring of financial operation of airlines and to know when they are unable to meet minimum requirements. Any airline that is unable to meet financial obligations is immediately grounded by the NCAA.

Investigations revealed that one of the newly registered airlines has not paid its staff for over eight months, but it is still operating. Sources in the industry said the meeting convened by NCAA last week was belated because the regulatory body ought to have sanctioned the affected airlines before now.

A senior NCAA source acknowledged that the Authority is not enforcing the economic regulation of the airlines, and admitted that airlines start cutting corners when they suffer economic crunch. He also admitted that lack of funds hinders the airlines from carrying out effective maintenance of their aircraft.

"I know that some airlines owe their staff salaries. They are violating economic regulation. Some people want to start an airline but they don't know what it entails. It is not all about getting the AOC. It is true that NCAA is not enforcing economic regulation of the airlines because if it does, almost all the domestic airlines will be grounded," the NCAA source said.

The General Manager, Public Affairs, NCAA, Fan Ndubuoke confirmed that NCAA met with airlines last week and directed them to meet all their financial obligations with their workers or they would be grounded.

"Director of Air Transport Regulation, Justice Wariya met with the airlines last week and warned them to abide by the rules and also gave them a deadline in which they must offset their debts and pay their workers their salary and if they fail to do that at the given time they would be grounded," Ndubuoke said.

 

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Nigeria: Fund Crunch Hits Airlines, As Experts Fear More Air Disasters