Stakeholders seek review of 6 aircraft for startup airline

Stakeholders in the aviation sector have called for the review of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs) which stipulate a minimum of six aircraft for startup airlines before they are issued Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC).

They also called for the right policies to encourage the growth of the industry and support businesses in the sector.

They noted that more than ever before, the industry needed house cleansing across board to get to the foundation of the problem, adding that, “The industry must restructure to align with modern demands and growth in infrastructure, skills-set, technology and innovation.”

These were some of the recommendations at the end of the League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) conference with the theme: “Aviation Industry: Changing Times, Changing Strategies”.

The participants acknowledged challenges facing the aviation sector, emerging dynamics of global air transport, requirements to stay afloat and opportunities. They pointed at the aviation industry in Nigeria lagging through poor airport infrastructure, chaotic airlines’ operations, and add-on effects on dissatisfied travelling public.

In a communiqué issued by the conference’s Committee Secretary, Mr Albinus Chiedu, the participants observed that the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) was not the policeman of aviation, but primarily for the safety and health of the sector.

The communique reads in part: “Therefore, the apex regulator should (proactively) review policies that are detrimental to the airlines and the industry in general.

“Specifically, the industry needs a national air connectivity agenda that licences operators at three tiers – small, medium, and major airlines (for regional and international operations). The decentralised licensing mechanism will open the niche market in accordance with operator’s strength and for-profit optimisation.

“Similarly, there is a need to review the albatross of multiple taxation and charges on airlines. The requirement for new startups to present six aircraft as a condition for AOC should be expunged from the civil regulation.”

The participants noted that the industry required people who understood what policies were and their implementation, adding that, “Ministers and heads of agencies must desist from allocating positions based on patronage.”