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THE Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI), a non-governmental body in the aviation sector, has called on the government to limit its participation to the creation of an enabling environment and regulatory duties for private sector businesses to thrive.
Participants who attended its quarterly breakfast meeting in Lagos with the theme, “Aviation in Nigeria beyond 2023 General Elections: Challenges and Prospects,” agreed that civil aviation is required to ensure the effective enforcement and oversight of the economic regulations in accordance with global standard recommended practices.
The participants, who cut across all aviation professionals, said the focus of the aviation sector in Nigeria should be consumer-centric, adding that in line with global best practices, aviation services should be declared as essential services.
According to the group, challenges attributable to aviation financing could be frontally addressed through the creation of an aviation bank where all the operators and auxiliary service stakeholders would participate in terms of contributions and provisions would be made for single-digit interest rate loans.
The key players urged domestic airlines to collaborate through the use of code-sharing and interlining agreements to enhance connectivity, profitability and consumers’ satisfaction.
The participants lamented how failure to inaugurate governing boards of aviation and allied agencies in line with section 29 (1) of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Act stifled initiatives and accountability.
According to the communiqué issued at the end of the business meeting, “In order to ensure transparency in the execution of public policy, extant bureaucratic bottlenecks were to be curtailed.
“The aviation industry should be oriented to drive tourism for the overall economic development of Nigeria. Aviation remains a veritable catalyst for a profitable hospitality industry and the generation of foreign currency as revenue for Nigeria’s aviation sector. Rail projects should be linked to airports in order to enhance multimodal transportation.”
Identifying the importance of data catalyse to the growth and development of the sector, stakeholders urged that efforts should be made to harmonise and utilise aviation-related data in planning aviation policies to ensure accuracy and avoid conflicting data from various government Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
“Deliberate efforts should be made to build strong institutions rather than strong individuals. Preference should be given to competence and professionalism in the appointment of directors to various government agencies in the aviation and allied departments,” the communiqué added.
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