Imperatives of a National Carrier

Nigeria cannot develop skilled manpower, create jobs and benefit from its huge passenger traffic without having a national carrier, which is the fulcrum of aviation development in other parts of the world, writes Chinedu Eze

For the past 25 years, there has not been any privately owned airline in Nigeria that is deemed viable and profitable. Most Nigerian airlines fall on the way side before or after 10 years; yet Nigeria by location, passenger traffic and by human resources deserves the best airlines in Africa, good maintenance facility and highly skilled manpower.

This means that privately owned airlines in Nigeria, which as at today employed over 60 per cent of expatriates to man their technical departments and operate their fleet, cannot provide the gains we are expecting in aviation as a country with about 170 million people. Privately owned airlines cannot develop manpower or create jobs. They cannot establish maintenance facilities or benefit from the air transport market in the country.

When national carriers started going under in Europe and in Africa, various countries began to panel beat their airlines to suit the immediate realities. Many in Europe privatised theirs, giving government little stakes or no stakes at all; but government still recognised them as national or flag carriers and attend to them as national assets by providing them diplomatic protection and using them to symbolise the nation in air travel.

That explains why British Airways is still recognised as the national carrier of UK; though its ownership has changed. It is the same with other European airlines which have now become mega carriers. Some also went under, but more national carriers disappeared in Africa than elsewhere, like Ghana Airways, Air Afrique and Nigeria Airways. But a lesson was learned from Kenya Airways. According to the CEO of African Aviation Services Limited and former Secretary-General of African Airlines Association (AFRAA), Nick Fadubga, Kenya Airways was in a more deplorable state than Nigeria Airways when the later was liquidated and sold and the former was resuscitated. Today it is one of the most viable airlines in Africa. aviation industry oppose the need for Nigeria to have a national carrier. But industry observers believe that the opposition is self-serving by those who feel a national carrier will threaten their business and interests in the industry. Ironically, those who oppose the idea of a national carrier on the argument that it is no more in vogue or that Nigeria may not be able to successfully establish a carrier that would be viable and long- term, have not been able to proffer an alternative.

The alternative that is expected would be one that would see to the development of the aviation sector in terms of manpower development, establishment of maintenance, repair and overhaul ( MRO) facility and profit from the over 5 million Nigerians that travel to international destinations every year.

What is real today is that there are so many Nigerian pilots that are unemployed; there are so many young men and women that would have served as cabin crew if Nigeria has viable airlines that have the capacity to service her growing air travel traffic. Nigeria is losing so much not having such viable airlines. A national carrier can create 500,000 direct and indirect jobs, Nigeria could be exporting skilled manpower as Ethiopia and Kenya are doing and thousands of young men and women could build carriers in aviation.

About two weeks ago this writer and others visited the training facilities of Ethiopian Airlines in Addis Ababa and witnessed hundreds of young men and women at the average age of 19 who were being trained as cabin crew personnel. Every year hundreds of these Ethiopian youths are absorbed by the airline and many youths from other African countries and beyond come to train at the Ethiopian Airlines facility. This was possible because despite the good and bad times, Ethiopia ensured it sustained its national carrier, which is today the most profitable in Africa. National carriers provide the platform for skill acquisition, maintenance capabilities and airline operation. Ownership

Those who are in support of the establishment of a national carrier oppose complete government ownership of the airline. They canvass for ownership arrangement whereby government would have about five to 10 per cent stake and the rest owned by private investors and a management that is totally independent of government interferences. While Ethiopian Airlines is owned 100