Airline operators lament low capacity of Nigerian carriers

The lack of capacity of Nigerian airlines to airlift her growing number of passengers to international destinations would continue to give their foreign counterparts an edge. President, Airline Operators of Nigeria, Capt. Noggie Meggison, disclosed this while exchanging views with journalists.

He noted that the consequence was that the country would rely on foreign airlines to airlift most of the travellers. He equally frowned upon a situation where over 60 per cent of the flight crew with Nigerian airlines, including those on scheduled and charter services, were expatriates.

He said: “Low capacity means that Nigerian airlines do not benefit from the huge international destinations market from where Emirates generated N24 billion in 2014. So, foreign airlines dominate that market and repatriate over N150 billion annually.”

Meggison, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Jed Air, stated that 60 per cent of the flight crew, which included pilots and engineers coming from overseas, also meant that Nigeria would not be able to develop its manpower in these technical areas.

He said that this meant that Nigeria would continue to depend on foreign manpower to operate the airline industry, and stressed that besides the huge remunerations paid to these expatriates, Nigerian airlines also ferry their aircraft overseas for major maintenance, which costs an average of $500,000 for a single isle aircraft like Boeing 737.

Experts in the sector surmised that Nigeria could grow major airlines with high capacity and dominate the international destinations market; she could develop her own manpower and save the huge resources taken out of the country as remuneration for foreign crew.

This, they said, could not be achieved because the laws that could save the industry from erosion by foreign interests were either not implemented or were lax. They reiterated that in different countries such laws were made in a way that while the country was open to international carriers, it benefited from their operations.

For instance, in South Africa, Emirates may be given about seven slots a week. If it wants more slots, the law in the commercial agreement between the two countries would specify that it must partner with South Africa Airways (SAA).

This means that SAA may have 40 per cent revenue in every additional flight operated by Emirates to Johannesburg or Cape Town. Some other countries do it by way of technical partnership that a foreign airline operating into the country must partner with a local airline.

Then the foreign carrier would look at the operational standard of the local carrier and upgrade it by providing facilities, training its technical manpower to meet its own standard to ensure safe operations.

Some other countries may make it as a rule that foreign airlines operating into such countries must employ a number of locals as cabin, flight and ground staff. In many countries in Africa, foreign carriers have some kind of partnership or engagement that benefits the growth of air transport in such countries.

When Delta Air Lines started operating in Ghana, it built a facility there to enhance its operation.