The federal government is currently in a fix over which model to adopt as it moves to float a new national carrier, findings by Daily Trust have shown.
Following the submission of the report of the National Carrier Committee last year, it was learnt that about five different models were proposed for the government.
Though details of the models remain sketchy, all those put forward to government recommend a private sector-driven carrier with ‘very minimal government stake’.
The defunct carrier, Nigeria Airways, was liquidated in 2004 while succeeding governments had unsuccessfully attempted to bring back the carrier until the Muhammadu Buhari’s administration was birthed.
The administration has vowed to bring back the carrier and immediately set up a National Carrier Committee on August 2015 which has since presented its report.
There were speculations last week that the government was considering a merger of two prominent domestic carriers to form the national carrier. However, checks by Daily Trust showed that no such plan was being explored as the said carriers (Arik and Aero Contractors) dismissed the report.
Besides, experts say merging two existing carriers might not be feasible as no airline would want to sacrifice its brand for a so-called national carrier.
A source, who spoke with our correspondent, said, “The government has vowed to bring back the carrier but what we heard now is that they don’t know which model to adopt. We hope the government will come up with a workable model as soon as possible.”
Commenting on the planned carrier, president of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), Comrade Isaac Balami, said government should not be in a fix as it has been armed with sufficient documents and models to be adopted.
Balami who was a member of the National Carrier Committee, urged government to fast-track the process and stop procrastinating, noting that their members would benefit from the carrier.
However, he warned that the coming of the national carrier should not in anyway stifle the operations of the existing domestic carriers, saying beside having a national carrier, the nation equally needs a flag carrier.
On how the national carrier can take off, he said, “You know that you don’t start an airline with 100 aircraft, you must start small and grow. You can start with five aircraft and every two, three months, you introduce two or three aircraft and you keep expanding the routes gradually.
“If you bring so many aircraft at the same time, they would all be due for C-check at the same time so you won’t have any flight. You have to keep introducing them gradually.
There are models, there are ways that experts in the sector do it. These are left for experts to sit down and look at the route structures, look at the traffic, the load factor and see how best those aircraft can be introduced. How many do we need for a start? How many do we introduce every quarter? When should we do West Coast? When should we go international? These are things that have already been looked into and the report is with the government.”
Also speaking, President of Aviation Roundtable, Mr. Gbenga Olowo, said government should come up with the definition of the national carrier it intends to float.
He said, “We challenge the media to please find out from government its ‘definition’ of national carrier. Is it a la the defunct Nigeria Airways? We can only continue to speculate in the absence of such clarification which gives room to various interpretations.
“Government, as a minority shareholder in this new experiment will be investing with what motive, could it be profit or efficient service delivery given the very difficult operating environment in Nigeria and the challenge of competing needs for scarce Nigerian funds?
“If all the privately owned airlines are presently gasping for economic breath, then something more fundamental should be wrong than just floating start ups. In the last 40 years or so, we’ve witnessed about three cycles of government and private airlines with mortality rate of between 10-15 years.
“Which ever model government may be contemplating, the necessary and sufficient condition will be to holistically attend to those fundamental questions. ART has submitted tonnes of recommendations.”
The founder of Bring Back Nigeria Airways, Group Capt. Ibrahim Yunusa Kazaure, said merging two airlines described as ‘debt-ridden’ would be to start the national carrier on a shaky foundation which may not augur well for the carrier.
He said government should pay the entitlements of workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways and come up with a brand new airline or simply bring back the Nigeria Airways.
Daily Trust
