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Expert cautions operators over use of jumbo planes at lean times

By Editor
18 November 2016   |   2:13 am
As the economic recession bites harder in the aviation sector, airline operators have been advised to acquire light and fuel-efficiency aircraft to boost operations.
Mohammed Tukur

Mohammed Tukur

As the economic recession bites harder in the aviation sector, airline operators have been advised to acquire light and fuel-efficiency aircraft to boost operations.

Explaining the reasons why domestic airlines collapse within the first 10 years of existence in Nigeria, the immediate past General Secretary of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Mohammed Tukur, identified wrong decisions, which include the deployment of long-haul jumbo jets on short-distance domestic routes.

A jumbo jet is a wide-body aircraft having a fuselage wide enough to accommodate two passenger aisles, also known as twin-aisle aircraft, with seven or more seats abreast.

Although Nigeria has one of the highest number of domestic airlines registered, it is one of those that parade airlines with the shortest life span in the world.

Tukur said the only way domestic airlines will survive in the country was for the operators to acquire fuel–efficient aircraft, while “management of various airlines should stop living expensive lives with monies meant for operations of airlines.”

According to him, “There is need for airlines to change their aircraft types, they should get Jet aircraft and not these Boeing 737s. If they have these less fuel consuming aircraft, it will reduce their burdens.”

Tukur, who is the former Director of Operations, Chanchangi airline, said that the B737 aircraft are also costly to maintain and that there is no way an operator could survive its maintenance programme, given the present economic situation.

He also noted that the burden of the airlines, from the time they acquire their Air Operators Certificate (AOC), is much, as salaries of workers are paid immediately the AOC is granted.

The indiscriminate pulling out of finance from operations by airline owners, he added, is another worst practice in the airline business, adding that any money taken out of the airline’s daily operations is capable of crumbling the entire system of that airline.

His words: “Most of the airlines overstretched themselves from the beginning before they acquire the AOC. They started paying salaries for workers and people believe that there is money. But soon, that kind of live will haunt them.

“Most airlines operators take money out of the system. And put it in another business. In aviation, the moment you move money out of operation then you are killing the operation completely because the airlines are individually owned and somebody will just take the money without accountability.”

He warned the government on the plan to set up a national carrier, saying the country lacked the financial capability of establishing an airline and called for the introduction of a flag carrier for the country.

“What they need to have is a flag carrier and not national carrier. Where is the money to float a national carrier by the government?”

Can they afford $200billion? If you want to have a national carrier, you need to have like Air France and other airlines do. You need a virgin land for the terminal building like Heathrow airport.”

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