Experts blame frequent air crashes on mediocrity
The frequency of air accidents in Nigeria has confirmed that all is not well with the aviation sector, despite Aviation Ministry’s claims to the contrary. WOLE SHADARE writes that much of the woes are self-inflicted
All appears not to be well with the Nigerian aviation industry. An unenviable record of seven accidents in less than two years, is obviously the worst ever recorded under any administration. This further points to the fact that the sector needs an urgent rescue.
Nigerians have been asked to see the Associated Airline’s accident of last week as, “inevitable, and as an act of God.” Far from it. It couldn’t possibly have been an act of God. Aviation analysts have asserted that the crash happened because of the failure by the authorities to do the right thing. To them, the Minister’s assertion is not only “escapist, but a contradiction of the federal government’s acclaimed remodelling of the sector, which is mainly not about safety and security of the industry.”
Aside these recurring accidents, the recent stowaway of a young Daniel Ehikhena also portends grave danger for Nigeria’s aviation industry. In recent time, the sector had been awash with tales of woes, despite the struggle by players in the sector to conceal the truth or the worrying position of things.
Many believe that the government is concentrating more energy on the refurbishment of airports across the country, without taking a look at the strict aviation safety and security regulations. Of what use, they ask, is the remodelling of airports, when people do not feel safe in the air, or when individuals could easily stroll into them from a bush path, and gain access to an aircraft?
The Senate, on Tuesday, blamed the media for the hype about government’s efforts at reforming the aviation sector. According to its members, upgrading airport facilities may be necessary, but the greater challenge lies with the people and the procedures for the regulating agencies. They equally asked: Of what use are the billions of naira allegedly spent to raise comfort for passengers, when the same passengers are delayed for hours at the airports or when services are bad?
The frequent mishaps have also raised an avalanche of questions over the safety of Nigeria’s airspace, the level of manpower in the sector and other areas. And just as the country was trying to come to terms with the Associated Airlines crash, less than 24 hour later, a Jeddah bound B747-300 Kabo airplane hit some navigation aids at the Sokoto airport, almost resulting in another disaster. Some 512 souls were board, made of 494 passengers and 18 crew members.
As if that was not enough, Dana Air’s operations have just been grounded by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) recently, for an alleged engine failure in one of its aircraft, forcing it to make an air return to base. The past week has been scary for Nigerians, including the National Assembly, which has now summoned the Aviation Minister and all the relevant aviation agencies, for briefing.
The International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) Director-General, Tony Tyler, is worried about the country’s air safety record too. He told The Guardian: “no priority is greater than safety.” Taking a closer look at air safety in Nigeria and Africa as a whole, Tyler disclosed that the continent’s performance has been well below global standards.
He said: “In 2012, African airlines had one accident for every 270, 000 flights. Africa’s aviation accounts for about 3 per cent of global traffic. And last year, it accounted for nearly half of the fatalities involving the western-built jets. These figures are shocking and call for action.”
Nigeria’s accident rate may have constituted about 50 per cent of all air accidents in Africa from 2005 till date. Tyler observed that Nigeria’s aviation services still remain in the backwoods, due to obsolete fuel transportation infrastructure available at the nation’s airports, among other deficient facilities.
But the Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah-Ogiewomyi believes the nation’s airspace ranks among the best in Africa. She talks about how the federal government “had expended so much funds” at bringing the airspace at par with other top aviation nations of the world. She believes that although, the country had, over the years, “had its fair share of challenges,” however, “one of the key strategies was not to relent in its efforts to get it right.”
The advent of democracy in the country, she said the other day, had helped bring about the new wave of development that the aviation sector has so far witnessed, leading to “tremendous growth.”
But some facts on the ground all point to the contrary. First, a Nigerian cargo aircraft crashed inside the Kotoka International Airport, in Accra, Ghana on June 2, 2012, killing about four people when the airplane veered off the airport’s runway and hit a parked bus with people inside.
Less than 24 hours later, Nigeria recorded its worst accident, when a Dana MD 83 aircraft, due to suspected dual engine problems, crashed into some buildings at Iju-Ishaga, a Lagos suburb, killing all 153 passengers on board and four more people on ground. The affected houses were, of course, “killed” too.
The federal government had vowed to ensure that there won’t be a repeat of it. But that was not to be. On October 3, a light airplane, carrying the remains of a former Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Agagu, some close family members of the deceased and the Chief Operting Officer of MIC Undertakers, his son four staff, crashed less than two minutes after take-off. They were among the 14 lives that were lost, while six lucky passengers survived.
It is not that accidents do not happen in other climes. But the frequency of these crashes in Nigeria raises serious concerns and confirms that all is not well. Kenya, with relatively higher traffic and a bigger airline hub compared to Nigeria, has maintained high level of aviation safety. The same goes for Ethiopia, where aviation is a thriving business, and which has equally maintained a considerable high level of safety.
In war ravaged and crisis prone countries like Congo, accidents do not occur frequently as they happen in Nigeria; further underscoring the fact that something is deeply wrong with the system.
Worried by the turn of events, a former Assistant Secretary General of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Mohammed Tukur, attributed the bane of the industry to the failure to appoint a professional to man a very sensitive sector as aviation. He called for the removal of Oduah-Ogiewonyi, alleging: “the minister is just messing up a lot of things.”
He said: “The President should do justice to the sector. We need to protect our aviation category one position, so that we do not lose it because of these crashes and other serious safety breaches at our airports. And most importantly, our civil aviation regulation is suspect. Again, we lack basic infrastructure at our airports. Do not be deceived by the renovation of the airports, these are just a huge deception that would soon be exposed.”
Experts also feel that more energy is being expended on the commercialization of the sector rather than strengthening NCAA, granting it real autonomy, and allowing the regulatory body the independence to function. There are strong allegations that the supervising Aviation Ministry has taken over virtually all the functions of the agencies.
The crash of an Embraer 120 aircraft on October 3, right inside the Lagos airport, indeed, shook the whole nation. Information management was poor, as the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the NCAA and the Ministry of Aviation gave conflicting accounts of the crash, further attesting to the notion that proper coordination among the various agencies is lacking.
From wobbling airlines, porous aviation security network, poor safety oversight and corruption to mediocrity and nepotism, the sector is, indeed, in a very precarious situation.
Not that the industry did not record some success, but many agree that the rot which did not start yesterday, far outweighs the achievements recorded.
Of significance is the sanitization of the industry after the devastating Bellview, Sosoliso and ADC crashes of 2005 and 2006. The federal government, under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, embarked on huge reforms that helped Nigeria clean its house, and which resulted in the granting of the highest aviation safety status by the United States (U.S)
The country had also showed promise to right the wrongs and the appointment of competent people to man various aviation agencies helped to sustain air safety for six years before the Dana crash, that made nonsense of all the efforts.
Nigeria may have now, indeed, gone back to sleep with the appointment of people who have no business in the sector in the saddle.
Former Commmandant, Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, Group Captain John Ojikutu (rtd) accused the Ministry of Aviation of stifling the aviation agencies, particularly the FAAN, with unskilled manpower. Yet, FAAN is still over 1400 deficient in terms of aviation security personnel.
His words: “You are expanding airport terminals all over, in spite of all the security breaches in the airports. What really is our priority in aviation? Don’t tell Nigerians about remodeling any more!”
The aviation security expert disclosed that safety and security, not commercialization of regulations, should occupy the mind of the Minister and the various aviation agencies. Ojikutu further decried the lack of adequate runways and taxiways at the airports, coupled with lack of security fences as against perimeter fences. He pleaded with the government not to take Nigerians backwards to the pre 2005 and 2006 period, when airplanes started falling off from the sky.
Ojikutu spoke against the backdrop of a recent stowaway that not only ridiculed the nation, but also showed huge gaps in the sector. He said one cannot, but be amused with the way politicians had relegated, “our lives when many lives are lost in one fell swoop.”
He said: “On this crash, the Minister said it is an act of God and that the accident was inevitable. I agree that deaths like those of Associated and Dana airlines are inevitable, because of the circumstances we put ourselves in, but they are not God’s will. They are man-made and it is an escapist comment which is highly unfortunate.”
Beyond regulations, Nigerian airlines are also in dire straits. Many of them are indebted to the agencies, service providers and fuel marketers. Most of the carriers are showing signs of weakness, while many of them are barely coping with government’s policy somersault, coupled with the unfriendly environment in which they have found themselves.
The government has no investment in any operating domestic airline in Nigeria today. It is 100 per cent private. This, ordinarily, should have enhanced best practices, competition, innovation and incentives for travelling public to make choices.
But the airlines are increasingly finding it difficult to cope with the high costs of operation. The taxes by the government are not just high, but rank as one of the highest in the world, a situation that makes it extremely difficult for the carriers to survive.
Some alleged that the airlines could be forced to cut corners because of this, thereby eroding safety. The carriers are over taxed. The charges range from taxes on aviation fuel dispensed into the tanks of the aircraft: huge landing and parking fees, high rents for offices, cost of catering, maintenance, double taxes on navigation, and the new policy for private jet operators, which has pitched the NCAA against the airlines.
Speaking at the Aviation Day Africa, held in Lagos recently, Tyler particularly frowned at the exorbitant airport charges, noting that the appalling airport facilities do not warrant the high taxes levied on passengers by the airport authorities.
His words: “If airlines and their passengers were enjoying beautiful, new, modern and efficient facilities, that might be acceptable. But they are paying for services at an airport that is still under construction. You should not charge a toll for a bridge that is not yet built!”
He further disclosed that IATA was working closely with the federal government to resolve the differential charges for air navigation, between international and domestic operations.
Nigeria is among the countries with high aviation taxes in the world, with international and domestic airlines attributing the high cost of air tickets to the multiple taxes and charges.
The Secretary-General of African Airlines Association—the umbrella body for African airlines, Dr. Elijah Chingosho, who was represented by Raffael Kuuchi at the event, regretted that despite efforts by the continent’s carriers to rise up to the challenges, poor safety records had tainted them and the continent.
As Nigerians pay more and prepare to pay extra for some services, wait in long queues, and endure crowded commercial flights at peak periods, super-wealthy private jet owners are enjoying themselves, with some alleging that they do so at the public’s expense.
This year is a huge success for private aviation in Africa. Whilst the European market is struggling, many jet hire companies are thriving in Africa where a number of emerging industries are flourishing. The demand is at its highest in Egypt and South Africa, but Kenya and Nigeria are also attracting a significant number of private jet hire companies.
The current infrastructure, challenging geography and sheer size of Africa, make it ideal for air travel investment. Africa’s road systems and rail services are generally poor and a trip that may take a few hours in the UK or the US could take a few days in some regions of Africa.
Without doubt, the balance sheets of most airlines are weak. If fuel prices and other charges continue to skyrocket, it is likely the airline industry crisis will continue. An airline operator who did not want to be mentioned, said it would be senseless if it costs N10 to produce a tin of milk, and you sell it at N8 and hope to remain in business.
The cost of one seat on a Boeing 737 (144 seater) from Lagos to Abuja is N25, 000. The airline charges N20,000 but pays out N3,500 as Passenger Service Charge (PSC) to FAAN; N3,000 as Income Tax; N3, 000 to NCAA as ticket sales tax. Ten thousand naira enters the airline’s coffers to pay for aircraft, crew training, aviation fuel, spare parts, unscheduled repairs and scheduled maintenance, lubricants, salaries, landing fees to FAAN, and navigation fees to NAMA. Fuel alone accounts for 60 per cent of the cost of an airline’s flight operations.
As at today, an operator needs 80 passengers from Lagos to Abuja and 80 passengers from Abuja to Lagos to be able to pay the cost of operating that flight. If an operator carries 100 passengers on one leg of the flight and returns with 40 passengers, that flight has operated at a loss.
The source added that liquidity from airline sales, he said, did not translate to healthy financial status, just as he urged the NCAA, NAMA, FAAN, SACHOL and NAHCO managers to develop a module that keet the domestic airline management as their partner.
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