The chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, Prof Obiora Okonkwo, has called on the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to monitor aviation fuel suppliers closely.
Okonkwo made the all following the detection of water in the tank of MAX Air aircraft.
Speaking at the annual ‘All Markets Conference of the Ndigboamaka Progressive Market Association’ held in Lagos yesterday, Okonkwo said any firm authorised to supply jet fuel to airlines should operate according to laid down standards.
Okonkwo also said the NCAA should only licence companies that meet the required standards to supply Jet A1 to airlines.
“I would say the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) should do a more acceptable audit of the fuel suppliers. We have been calling for the audit before now.
“They should be audited to ensure that anybody who has the permission to supply fuel to the operators complies with the rules. Operators do not have all it takes to audit and verify the fuel and they do not even have the power to enforce anything,” he said.
On the statement credited to the NCAA that airlines and pilots are responsible for the quality of fuel dispensed into their aircraft tanks, the airline chief said it is for the good of the airlines and crew to live up to expectation.
“I have said times without number that measures should be taken before you accept and pour the fuel into the aircraft, there are test parameters,” he added.
Speaking on cushioning the effect of the fuel subsidy removal on the aviation sector, Okonkwo called of a soft for a N250 billion.
“If the federal government can set aside about N250 billion for the aviation sector as soft loan, not a grant or free money to the aviation sector, what it means is that there will be more aircraft, which can be deployed to some of the new routes.
“The outcome is that there will be more people employed, the airlines and the government will make more money. Flying overseas will bring foreign exchange…By and large, it will help people who don’t have jobs. This is not palliative, it will increase revenue, create wealth.
“My take is that while government is taking the other side of the handout, it is also important that they use the resources to strengthen the private business owners, these are the people who use their guaranteed capital to create wealth, jobs and grow the economy”, he added.
“As for Max Air, there is nothing absolutely to worry about. It can happen to any airline at any time. If there are questions from NCAA, it is left for them to give answers to the agency, which I m sure they will do.
He, however, appealed to NCAA to put in place more acceptable audits on the fuel suppliers, stressing that the airline operators had consistently canvassed this position.
Okonkwo also said that the doling out of N500 billion palliatives to the less privileged as planned by the Federal Government may not be the solution to the country’s problems.
According to the United Nigeria Airlines Chairman, the government should rather look at how it could use the savings from the fuel subsidy to strengthen business owners in the private sector to stimulate the economy and create wealth.
He suggested that if the government could give the airline operators about N250 billion for instance as a soft loan, it would go a long way in boosting the economy.
He also called for transparency in the disbursement of the loans to the beneficiaries.
“If the Federal Government can set aside about N250 billion for the aviation sector as soft loans, not grant or free money to the aviation sector, what it means is that there will be more aircraft, which can be deployed to some of the new routes. It can also energize and capitalize on us going to the international routes.
