NAMA rallies oil firms to local production of aviation fuel
The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has charged oil and gas firms to prioritise local production of aviation fuel (Jet A1) in line with the Nigerian Content Development initiative of the Federal Government.
Managing Director of NAMA, Capt. Fola Akinkuotu, said the call became imperative given the high cost of aviation fuel, which gulps over 30 per cent of operational cost of airlines in Nigeria.
Akinkuotu, who was a guest speaker at the yearly Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE) forum, organised by PSRG-Richardson Oil and Gas, in Lagos, said apart from the cost, the supply of the product is sometimes epileptic, resulting in flight disruptions.
He stressed that the production of Jet A1 in Nigeria would regularise supply, bring about reduced cost, which would also translate into lower air fares by airlines.
Akinkuotu, in a paper titled: “Aviation safety in Nigeria: Challenges, issues and solutions,” lamented the high cost of aircraft maintenance, which he described as “atrocious, largely because these costs are domesticated in dollars.”
He, however, revealed that effort was being made by the Federal Government to set up a Maintenance, Repairs and Operations (MRO) facility “as part of strategic plans to reduce capital flight, lower the times aircraft leave the country for repairs and lower the cost of maintenance.”
On the state of air safety in Nigeria, Akinkuotu said the recent pronouncement by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that Nigeria’s air carriers’ operations are in compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) standards, is good news that rekindles hope in the sector.
“The aviation sector today is all together safe as accidents have remained at zero level for six consecutive years with serious or reportable incidents at acceptable levels.”
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