BUSINESS National Carrier: Mixed reactions Petrol, kerosene, trail appointment of advisers gas imports gulp N760bn in Q1 – NBS
Mixed feelings and reactions are trailing the appointment of transaction of advisers for the establishment of a national carrier, aviation leasing company and the concessioning of airports.
The Federal Government on Wednesday approved the advisers at the end of the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.
The three projects as well as the establishment of Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facilities are contained in the roadmap for aviation development unveiled by the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika.
Sirika who briefed newsmen at the end of the FEC meeting said N1.5bn was approved for the projects which would kick-start activities in the transportation and aviation industry.
The contracts were awarded to Messrs Lufthansa Consulting/TN Aero FGE, for the national carrier; Messrs Arrow for Aviation Leasing Company and MRO; Messrs Infrata Dantens for the concession of airports; and JEBB was appointed for the Aerotropolis and Agro Cargo Terminals.
Speaking on the appointments, aviation veteran and former Director of Flight Operations of the defunct Nigeria Airways, Capt. Dele Ore said he has no problem with the government’s decisions if the foreign firms were coming to invest in the country’s aviation.
However, he said government must first of all pay off retirees of the Nigeria Airways for the national carrier project to succeed.
He said, “As long as they are bringing money to come and develop our industry, I can only wish them well but really what concerns me now is before you start talking of a new national carrier, just pay us off, pay the Nigeria Airways pensioners off.
“Whatever they want to do, they should go ahead and do it after that. But without that, it is an uphill task…”
Secretary General of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Comrade Olayinka Abioye warned the Minister, whom he said has good intentions not to rush the National Carrier project.
He also queried the processes leading to the appointment of the advisers, adding, “there is nothing or special about it but at the appropriate time perhaps the question we should be asking is how did those people get to be nominated or appointed, which process or processes bring them about?
The minister had also told Daily Trust in an exclusive interview the national carrier will come before the airports are concessioned.
“The establishment of the National Carrier will conclude before the concessioning of the airport. Once we finish dotting the details, we should have the national carrier” Sen. Sirika had said.
The minister had also said the four most viable airports (Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcoirt and Kano) will be concessioned first before other airports.
“We thought we should concession our airports, simply because there is no money in the government at the moment to finance them. Concession is the best option when you want to improve your asset quality, make more money and bring them in line with global best practices” the minister had told Daily Trust. FLIGHT
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