Keyamo spoke after he arrived on the inaugural Air Peace Boeing 777-200ER flight from Nigeria’s capital Abuja to London Heathrow on Oct. 26.
“This is an historic moment,” he said. “International airlines have been coming to Nigeria for nearly 90 years on some routes, lifting passengers back and forth without our operators fully participating. Under our BASAs [Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreements] we had rights too, but no capacity, no access, no slot at Heathrow. Today, that changed.”
In Africa, Nigeria is a dominant economic force, competing with South Africa and Egypt for the top spot on the continent. It has Africa’s largest population, which provides a massive domestic market and a large labor force. It has had no national carrier for two decades, and there has been much speculation, argument and legal action over attempts to launch one.
Meanwhile, privately owned airlines have been growing successfully in Nigeria. Air Peace has expanded under the leadership of Chairman and CEO Allan Onyema, who has demanded that Nigerian airlines should have the same rights and access as foreign ones.
When he won the license to fly from Lagos to London Gatwick last year it was seen as a milestone, but for Onyema it was just a small step, and he pushed for access to Heathrow.
Onyema found an ally in minister Keyamo, who opened diplomatic channels with the British government and other countries to gain access. But he also turned internally to Nigeria’s fractured airline industry and a beleaguered regulator to cooperatively push to meet and exceed global standards.
“It has been a dogged leadership by [Keyamo] to get support for local airlines to meet the highest standards. We have worked with the UK CAA to make an impact, and now the regulator support to oversight is robust,” said Chris Ona Najomo, the director general of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
Najomo said Nigeria has embarked on comprehensive infrastructure upgrades, including the modernization of airport terminals, expansion of cargo and logistics networks, and integration of innovative technologies to enhance safety and operational efficiency. Moves, Najomo said, that would support the industry.
Keyamo argues that the new links between London and Nigeria are just the start. “We need that connectivity. We are proud of our flag carriers,” he said. “We will hold them to the highest of standards and will help them open routes.”
Speaking on the sidelines of the Heathrow event, the minister told Aviation Week that he and the NCAA had met privately with lessors and financiers to share their progress. “We have signed and implemented the Cape Town Convention,” he said. “We have guaranteed that we will ensure assets are returned within days.”
With greater confidence in the government guarantees and an improvement in safety and operational regulation, Keyamo believes there will be a boost for Nigerian carriers.
Does this put an end to the talk of a government-owned national flag carrier?
“It is still talked about,” Keyamo said, “but every good economy thrives on the wealth and wellbeing of the private sector, the greatest employer of labor and engine of growth. We have done all we can within our powers to give our local operators the muscle and leverage for fair competition.”
“The mortality rate in our aviation sector for more than 40 years has been very high. Over 100 airlines have come and gone. We have had a clear mandate from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ensure that we support the growth, sustenance, and competitiveness of our local operators,” the minister said.
Now with 30 aircraft, Air Peace is West Africa’s largest carrier. As well as London routes, the airline also flies to Istanbul and Jeddah. Toyin Olajide, the carrier’s chief operating officer, emphasized the airline’s connectivity to the major West African capitals in Cameroon, Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana and Senegal.
By Alan Peaford, Aviation Week
No comments:
Post a Comment