The National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) has described the audit of airlines by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) as a great step that would prevent the airlines from cutting corners and ensure safe air transport system.
Secretary of the union, Mr. Olayinka Abioye regretted that most of the airlines operating in Nigeria find it difficult meeting salary obligation to their workers.
The NCAA which is the regulatory authority for the aviation sector in Nigeria through its Director-General, Capt. Muhtar Usman had on Tuesday directed immediate commencement of airlines operating in Nigeria.
The audit, according to the DG was "to forestall complacency among the Airline operators and ensure that they all continue to demonstrate absolute compliance to NCAA’s regulations".
"The pockets of incidents that have occurred recently are being viewed seriously by the NCAA and this wholesale audit is one of the measures taken to forestall further incidents and ensure the sustenance of the confidence of air travellers", the DG said.
This was happening a week after the crash of Bristow Helicopter where six out of the 12 souls on board were dead.
Speaking with Daily Trust in Lagos, the NUATE scribe stressed that the NCAA must be more up and doing to forestall any further air disaster. "It is to forestall some of this little crash that the NCAA must begin to wake up to its responsibility by doing it right. We support the NCAA management in this regard", he said. Abioye further decried the inability of some airlines to pay their workers’ salaries, saying the development is a disaster waiting to happen. He said, "We fear for insolvency of some of these airlines. How can you run an Airline, you are carrying passengers all over the place, you fly all over the routes and you can’t pay staff salaries? That’s a problem, it is even an accident waiting to happen because they say, ‘a disgruntled worker is an accident waiting to happen’.
"We do not pray that all these workers that are being denied salaries for two months, for three months, they don’t get crazy one day and do something to that aircraft or to the airline, that’s a very serious problem".
According to him, NCAA must do the needful to stabilize the aviation sector and galvanize safer and more secure air transportation for Nigeria.
He said, "So, NCAA, for it to be seen to be doing its job must also go into those airlines and begin proper monitoring, proper auditing and proper surveillance because there seems to be situation where airlines tend to cut corners. If you don’t pay your salaries, you are finding trouble. If your aircraft is not airworthy and you say you want to manage, you are creating chaos, waiting for it to happen. Unfortunately we have just had the crash of Bristow helicopter, it was very, very unfortunate because Bristow, as small as it is, has been a powerful tool in the oil and gas sector.
"It is to forestall some of these little crash that the NCAA must begin to wake up to its responsibility by doing it right. We support the NCAA management in this regard".
Speaking further, the union leader said it is criminal for airlines to refuse to pay the required five per cent ticket sale charge to the appropriate authority.
"Again, there can be no reason why airlines in Nigeria who are collecting passengers’ service charge on behalf of the Federal Government would renege in making those moneys available. It is not only a criminal offence, it is fraud and I can tell you that billions of Nigerian tax payers’ money, Nigeria’s Air travellers’ money are in the hands of some of these our so-called airlines who incidentally happen to be friends of some people in government or some people in power.
"Efforts must be made towards taking back those moneys they are owing because it is also affecting the operations of all the parastatals that are supposed to enjoy some percentages out of that fund and we’ve told the parastatals, the Aviation sector unions are ready, willing and capable to assist in getting these moneys back from them because it is a debt that cannot be wished away. They must pay", he added.
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