FG must address challenges killing Nigerian airlines — Aero Contractors MD, Sanusi

By Dickson Omobola It was a celebratory mood at Aero Contractors headquarters at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, on Monday, as the airline celebrated 67 years of operations. Past and current staff of Aero Contractors were present at the event, which was held at its hangar. After the event, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Aero Contractors, Capt Ado Sanusi, called on Federal Government to focus on genuine industry reform, among other issues.

Background: We believe this administration has done well in infrastructure, but we are telling the administration that policy in the sector must address the specific challenges of the industry. I do understand the peculiar challenges affecting the industry, and if policies are not geared towards addressing those challenges, particularly as the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has said that over 100 airlines have died, we should address that. We should not accept the fact that 10 to 15 airlines die in Nigeria and say it’s normal.

There is a particular problem that needs to be addressed, and those are the things I believe an industry-focused and genuine reform will address. What do I mean by industry-focused? It needs careful study and looking at the exact problems that we are facing and addressing them.

Infrastructure is a very simple thing to take care of because if you have the money, you know what to build, then you will go ahead and build it. Once you do the study and you have the money, you will build it. However, for an industry that has been here for the past 100 years, I think that was the first time that an airline landed in Kano, and an industry where we had the pride of the nation, Nigeria Airways, was shut down, liquidated and everything.

An industry where the fastest-growing airline in Nigeria, in West and Central Africa, and in fact, in Africa, arguably, was allowed to go down. These are specific challenges that the industry faces, and I believe it shouldn’t be allowed to be a thing that the private sector should resolve. After all, when we had the banking crisis, federal government stepped in.

We don’t need to have an aviation crisis before federal government should step in. While federal government is doing a lot on infrastructure and policy, there are specific challenges af…