NAN-H-3
Advice
By Adekunle Williams and Solomon Asowata
Lagos, Nov. 16, 2016 (NAN) Alhaji Mohammed Tukur, the immediate past General Secretary, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON),on Wednesday advised Airline operators in the country to acquire light and fuel efficiency aircraft to reduce cost of operations.
Tukur told Aviation Correspondents on Wednesday in Lagos that the advice became necessary as the economic recession bit harder in the aviation sector.
Tukur said that many airlines in the country collapsed within 10 years of operations because they had the wrong type of aircraft in their fleets.
According to him, some airlines deploy “jumbo” aircraft meant for six hours flight for an hour flight on domestic route which makes it unprofitable.
He said: “The only way domestic airlines will survive in this country is for the operators to acquire less fuel consuming aircrafts such as jets.
“There is need for airlines to change their aircraft types; they should get jet aircraft and not the B737. If they have these less fuel consumption aircraft, it will reduce their burden,” he said.
Tukur, who is a former Director of Operations, Chanchangi Airline, noted that the B737 aircraft were costly to maintain, adding that those using them may find it difficult to operate profitably under the present economic situation.
He also advised the management of some airlines to stop living expensive lifestyle with monies meant for operations, adding that some management staff of these airlines received too much as salaries.
“Some airline operators take money out of the system and put it in another business. In aviation, the moment you move money out of operation, then you are killing the operation completely.
‘’However, because the airlines are individually owned, they can just take the money without accountability,” he said.
He also advised the Federal Government against setting up a national carrier, noting that what the country needed was the introduction of a flag carrier that would be privately owned.
“What they need to have is a flag carrier and not national carrier. Where is the money to float a national carrier by the government; can they afford $200 billion?
On airport concession, he urged the government to resolve all existing concession agreements in the industry in order to avoid another round of litigation. (NAN)
WAC/ASO/DUA/IS
Edited by Dada Ahmed/Ismail Abdulaziz
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