President of ART, Air Commodore Demola Onitiju (retd),
By Sade Williams
A non-governmental organisation, Aviation Round Table (ART) has cautioned aviation agencies and the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development against knee-jerk and arbitrary pronouncements when aircraft incidents or accidents occur.
Speaking at the Quarter one 2024 breakfast meeting held in Lagos by the group on Thursday , president of ART, Air Commodore Demola Onitiju (retd), said such reactions are dangerous and risky and in violation of due process .
The theme for the quarter 1 meeting was ‘Manpowr strategy training, succession and development in aviation’.
According to him, incidences of runway incursion and excursion are not unusual in aviation practice, adding many of the issues that contribute to runway excursions can only be resolved when the regulatory and investigating bodies coordinate their findings and work together.
“Knee-jerk reaction to aircraft incidents and accidents is dangerous and hurtful. Incidences of runway incursion and excursion are not unusual in aviation practice. Runway excursion prevention is complex because the effect of the risk and resilience factors is highly cumulative. Some of the factors that contribute to runway excursions include but are not limited to -the runway condition, maintenance and reporting. To this list, add- aircraft performance and operations, collaborative approach path management and adherence to robust policies for safe descent and approach planning, stabilised approach, safe landing and go-around .
“The solution to these challenges can only be done together by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) in a coordinated way not through arbitrary pronouncements that are not only meddlesome, dangerous and risky but violates due process.”, he said.
The media space was awashed recently with reactions and counter reactions to the grounding of Dana Air operations by the Ministry of Aviation rather than the NCAA, after one of its aircraft was involved in a runway excursion.
The ART however, advocated the strengthening of NCAA’s autonomy consistent with the Act establishing it and global best practices.
“We made this call to ensure that it is adequately insulated from short-term political pressure. In the Nigerian circumstances, the NCAA is expected to be both benign and harsh in its spontaneous enforcement of standards and rules to retain our trust.”, he said.
In order to create a conducive environment for aviation and tourism to thrive, the ART urged President Bola Tinubu to initiate deliberate policies to review and suspend taxes, tariffs and charges, within a given time frame, in order to bring succour to aviation and allied businesses in Nigeria.
It added that such policies should address airline survival and growth with a view to lowering the recent astronomical increase in air fare on the domestic scene.
The ART also renewed it’s call for a comprehensive review of Bilateral and Plurilateral Air Services Agreements to suit the sector’s present circumstances.
It recommended the development of a local hub to effectively protect local airlines against the predatory foreign airlines granted multiple entry into local destinations.
“The ART has variously embarked on policy advocacy on the need to balance the interests of local tourism players and the need to encourage the growth of budget airlines.
“For us in the ART, the interest of the Nigerian State and her people must be paramount at all times.Attractive as Open skies might appear to be, modifications as would stimulate fair competition and reciprocal rights must be observed. In our view, Open skies is not devoid of regulation. There must be a balance between its tenets and the national interest. The recent commendable audacity of the Air Peace Airline to embark on the Lagos- London Gatwick route and the dust it generated is a case in point. The Nigerian State must rise up in defence of its own without apology”, Onitiju added.
