The Federal Government has been urged to immediately commence the renegotiation of the existing Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) arrangements with other countries for the mutual benefits of every party involved.

Speaking on Wednesday at a one-day lecture organised by SAPTCO Communications Ltd. with the theme: ‘International Aeropolitics and the Survival of Nigerian Carriers: The Survival of Nigerian Carriers on London Routes’, held at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, the former Director of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr Harold Demuren, said the current BASAs were one-sided.

Demuren insisted there was a need for any Nigerian airline on regional or international routes to get government support for their operations, warning that without this, the operators would be consumed by international aero-politics.
Currently, Nigeria has over 90 BASAs with various countries, while only about 30 are active.
Demuren explained that Nigeria was yet to fully exploit the BASA benefits due to capacity constraints, interlining, partnerships and lack of strong government support to unlock full value.

He regretted that the failure of Nigeria to fully reciprocate the BASA had led to the imposition of discriminatory fares on the country’s routes, especially Lagos-Abuja-London by foreign carriers.
Demuren pointed out that return fares from the Lagos – London route could go as high as $5000, while it could be priced for about $3,500 on the Accra – London route, attributing this to the lack of competition from Nigeria.
Acording to him, the government could support the indigenous carriers in the areas of aircraft leasing, access to foreign exchange and timely responses to challenges.

He said: “In BASA, both parties must benefit; it should not be one-sided. The Nigerian government needs to protect the local carriers. You can’t be wrong supporting your own.
“Any Nigerian airline on foreign routes must receive the support of the government. Those other countries, too, support their own.”

Besides, Demuren challenged Nigerian airlines to be creditworthy locally in a bid to make them attractive to foreign partners and competitors.
The former NCAA boss also called for interlining and cooperation among the indigenous carriers to be competitive locally and in their international operations, adding that those on international routes needed to form a synergy with the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development and the NCAA.

For the carriers to survive on foreign routes, Demuren canvassed for the adoption of operational reliability and regularity, extra-friendly, courteous and polite staff, but firm, good corporate governance principles and continuity.

Also speaking, the Director-General of the Civil Aviation (DGCA), Capt. Chris Najomo said that international aero-politics had never been neutral, but rather shaped by power, strategy and national pride.
Najomo, who was represented at the occasion by the Regional Manager, Lagos, Erelu Oluwabukola Teriba, emphasised that the London route was a global battleground where only the strong, the prepared and the well-supported could thrive.
Najomo lamented that for many years, Nigeria had watched from the sidelines as foreign carriers dominated a market built on the strength of the country’s passengers, but said the story had changed with the entry of Air Peace on the route.

She mentioned imbalanced agreements, high operating costs, global competition, and structural limitations as some of the challenges limiting Nigerian airlines from making an impact on international routes, but assured that the regulatory body’s support.
She added, “The success of Nigerian carriers cannot be the task of one agency or one airline. It requires all of us – government, regulators, airport authorities, diplomats, and industry stakeholders to act with unity of purpose.

“It requires us to believe in our own capacity, to support our airlines, and to demand the reciprocity and respect that our nation deserves.”
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo in his remarks, said that the sustainability of domestic airlines had received priority attention since the inception of this administration.
Keyamo, who was represented by Obiageli Orah, the Director of Special Duties, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), stated that the government had engaged countries around the world in order to maximise the existing BASA and ensure it was in favour of the nation’s airlines.