|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has promised to address the challenges facing the aviation industry in Nigeria, which have hitherto hampered the growth of the sector and hindered it from taking advantage of its natural geographical position as the hub for Africa.
Osinbajo gave the assurance during a meeting in his office at the Presidential Villa with a delegation of Airline chief executives of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON).
Osinbajo used the meeting as a fact finding exercise to hear first-hand from the airline investors what domestic airlines were going through within the sector and to discover why in spite of the huge potentials, Nigeria was not a hub for aviation activities in the continent.
Lending voice to the challenges being faced by airline operators, Nogie Meggison, chairman of AON, said some of the major issues facing airlines currently include, removal of Value Added Tax (VAT), harmonisation of over 35 Multiple Charges; reviewing 5 percent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) to a flat rate (in line with the world practices); poor navigational and landing aids, high cost and epileptic supply of JetA1, obsolete infrastructure, and lack of consultations with airlines before introduction of new charges and policies, among others.
According to Meggison, “There is an urgent need for a deliberate economic policy that will support the positive growth of aviation and survival of domestic airlines in the country.
“Safety and economic policy go hand-in-hand. Where there is no financial profit for airlines safety would be compromised. A clear economic policy for the survival of domestic airlines is very critical at this time, which has resulted over the years in the death of over 25 airlines in 30 years.”
Having carefully listened to the airline operators, the Acting President acknowledged the difficult situation the airlines face and promised to take a closer look into the various issues raised in order to find ways of addressing them, making it more friendly and promoting the ease of doing business in the airline industry as well as position Nigeria to take advantage of our natural God given geographical location as the hub in Africa.
IFEOMA OKEKE
