Experts put minimum fleet for AOC issuance at 20 aircraft

For efficiency, safety and optimum standards, aviation professionals in the country have called for regulatory consolidation process that increases the minimum fleet for AOC issuance for scheduled passenger airline operations from 2 aircraft to 20 aircraft.

With such proposal, airline operators intending to commence scheduled operations are expected to first of all provide an aircraft fleet size of 20 aircraft before getting approval for their operational certificates.

The experts, comprising of members of the Aviation Round Table (ART), made the observation in a communique issued at the end of Aviation Round Table Conference 2017, held at Golfview Hotel & Suites, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos, recently.

According to the document signed by the group’s president, Mr. Olumide Ohunayo, there should also be a culture of corporate governance and transparency in the business of managing the aviation sector, such that government and other parties in infrastructure-related commercial agreements in the industry should respect the terms of such agreements if the industry is to move forward.

It stated that existing concession/agreements that have developed into controversies affecting the entire industry should be resolved immediately in the interest of the industry, while taking cognizance of initial capital invested, just as they advised that political interference should be avoided in the sector’s regulatory activities.

ART further stated that there is a need for the establishment of an Inter-governmental Agency Stakeholder Group, led by the regulator for the administration and management of Bilateral Air Service Agreements (BASA) funds and for implementing “our aviation development plans.”

“Bilateral Air Service Agreements (BASAs), Multilateral Air Service Agreements (MASAs) and International Routes are the nation’s infrastructure and assets, while air traffic rights are like oil blocks and therefore, should not be treated with levity in administration or by unilateral exploitation. Therefore, BASA funds should be used for critical-safety infrastructure development as provided for in the Civil Aviation Act 2006”, the statement said.

The aviation professionals equally noted that there is a need to have surveillance cameras in and around every airport in Nigeria to be complimented with the establishment of Aviation Industry Cybersecurity Emergency Response Team (CERT) to enhance Aviation Security.

“Additionally, we need to enhance the airport perimeter fenceing where there are no security fences to sufficiently comply with Annex 17. With the increasing importance of Information Technology for massive levels of efficiency, effectiveness and profitability in air transport, an integrated aviation communication infrastructure should be established.

“With increase in traffic and number of aircraft in the Nigerian airspace over the years, the existing CNS/ATM systems need to be optimized; while improvements should be made to match capacity at the airports with the adoption of satellite and digital technologies. There is a need to ensure the provision of regular public power supply at the airports and all en-route stations nationwide, which will naturally facilitate the continuous provision of safety – critical services”, it said.

To ART, there is a need for local airlines to pull resources together and establish a local maintenance hangar as a way of minimizing their aircraft maintenance cost.

It also observed that, for Nigerian airlines to attract funding facilities from financiers and institutions that are predominantly based outside Nigeria, adding that, “our airlines must be within these parameters; viability, capacity and the potentials to earn more revenue from commercial agreements in view of the weakness of the local currency.

“The observed huge human capital deficiency in the industry needs to be rapidly addressed by establishing Human Capital Development Plans, Succession Planning and mentoring programme across the industry and organisations, with huge investments. We should deepen training in commercial, marketing and financial analysis which are the bedrock of profitability in the industry”, the group stated.