Stakeholders seek civil aviation infrastructure to support $13tr economy

Stakeholders in the aviation sector have called for a civil aviation infrastructure and capability that will support a $13 trillion economy by 2050.

Nigeria is projected to become one of the largest populations on earth, with a demonstrated propensity to travel by air by 2050.

They said with this projected rise in population, there was the need for a total overhaul of the aviation industry to support the projected economic growth and to be repositioned as a leading aviation economy.

This was contained in a communique issued at the end of the quarterly brunch business meeting organised by the Aviation Safety Roundtable Initiative (ASRTI) attended by stakeholders in the aviation sector including the airline operators, and service providers, among others.

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The stakeholders tasked the current administration to take advantage of Nigeria’s population with its traveling culture by giving the sector the priority required to enhance employment and government revenue while expanding its GDP contribution via trade, investment, and tourism.

They said a civil aviation master plan in line with current aviation realities must be developed for Nigeria as the last one developed has remained a draft civil aviation document.

In the communique signed by the Secretary General of the Aviation Roundtable, Olumide Ohunayo, stakeholders also called for the restriction of foreign airlines to either Lagos or Abuja Airports to end the regime of multiple entries for foreign airlines.

Daily Trust reports that some foreign airlines operate in as many as four locations in Nigeria.

But in the communique,  stakeholders called for a review of existing bilateral air service agreements (BASAs) with airlines in order to protect the interest of Nigeria and her airlines.

They called for the enforcement of the reciprocity principle in international agreements. 

“Foreign airlines designated to fly into Nigeria should be restricted to either Lagos or Abuja and a secondary entry point. 

“The current system of multiple entry destinations should be discontinued to enhance the drive towards regional hub creation while the government should ensure the foreign airlines timely home remittance to avail their inventories, lower tariffs, and increase traffic. 

“Deliberate efforts should be made to secure government support for local airline operators particularly in BASA implementation to enable them to attain their full potential,” they added.

The communique further spoke on the autonomy of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), saying it should “be restored and jealously guarded as provided in the Nigerian Civil Aviation Act, 2022, Part 2, Section 4(3) which states that “The Authority shall be independent in the discharge of its duties and functions…and for that purpose shall not, except as provided under this Act, take directives from any person or authority.”

“The NCAA should be allowed to deliver on its mission which is to provide aviation safety and economic regulation in the most efficient, effective, quality technology-driven manner to the satisfaction and benefit of all stakeholders, consistent with the highest international standards and the sustainable development of the industry and national economy.

“That the NCAA should be immediately repositioned to deliver on its vision and mandate to be one of the leading civil aviation authorities in the world.”

There was also the need to review the Air Operators’ Certificates (AOCs) Renewal regime and processes to encourage more investors.

“The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority should rapidly enhance its regulatory obligations by digitalising and automating end – to – end their safety and economic regulatory processes in line with global trends and best practices. 

“The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority should ensure that the entire aviation ecosystem is cyber safe and cyber secure to forestall potential cyber-attacks which are a global scourge to every industry and most critical to industries like aviation.”