‘Govt making Nigerian airlines look cheap before other countries’

Aviation stakeholder and Managing Director of Airline Management Support Limited (AMSL), Capt. David Olubadewo, has called on the federal government to protect the local airlines from unfair competition with their foreign counterparts.

Olubadewo decried a situation where the government sells indigenous airlines cheap to other countries that have their airlines.

Speaking with aviation correspondents in Lagos, the stakeholder said the domestic airlines in Nigeria are about the best in the world.

He said, “Our government sells Nigerian owned airlines cheap to other countries that own airlines. Government creates unnecessary competition on the routes Nigerian airlines ought to develop in the name of demand and supply. They do not value the domestic airlines, meanwhile we’re about the best in the world.

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“My advice is that the government should try to build and protect the airlines. Somebody needs to put rules and regulations on ground to protect the airlines, that is how it is done globally.

“Also, they should set up a leasing company to lease aircraft to airlines in Nigeria because we need to grow and build our airlines. This would even be a win-win situation because it boosts both the airlines and the economy as the government gradually recoups the money it spent on the acquisition of the aircraft.

“China did the same thing to become the biggest aviation market. Also, the Dubai Government supported Emirates to grow. So, the Nigerian Government should support the local airlines to build them up. For instance, what is the point of foreign airlines coming here and flying to all our major local routes?”

The AMSL boss whose firm supplies aircraft spares to most of the airlines in Nigeria said Nigerian airlines said the Nigeria Customs Service should help airlines in facilitating quick access to their spares when imported into the country.

“There are certain parts that are referred to as urgent or Aircraft on Ground (AOG), those spares will come through Customs. However, it needs following up to let them out quickly rather than creating unnecessary problems.

“But, apart from that, I think the customs are not too bad in Nigeria, no matter what you may say, they are not too bad. We go to other West African countries, we see what they do, we see what customs do in the UK, because in the UK you have something called route one. If anything goes through route one you have to wait, you have no choice. It is waiting until it is out. But Nigerian Customs, they are not too bad,” he added.