Following rampant cases of flight cancellations and delays in the Aviation sector, the Senate at plenary on Wednesday summoned the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, (SAN) and other stakeholders in the sector.
The resolution was reached after the adoption and approval of a motion by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation, Senator Abdulfatai Buhari, who is representing Oyo North Senatorial District in the National Assembly.
Titled, “Incessant Delayed and cancelled flights by Airline Operators in Nigeria,” the Senator in his motion, drew the attention of his colleagues to the worrisome development.
Buhari noted series of reportage in both the prints and electronic media as well as the social media in the country, on the incessant delay and cancellation of flights by Airline operators in Nigeria.
He said the situation, ceaselessly seemed to be on the increase in recent time.
He said, “The Senate notes that this development is worrisome as air travel is one of the most reliable, dependable and quicker means of transportation.
“Air travels are often undertaken for business/official purposes and to keep to other scheduled appointments, which are usually time bound.
“Therefore, unwarranted flight delays and cancellations will be counterproductive to the socio-economic growth and development of this country.
“The Senate further notes that as part of interventionist measures to check unethical and unwholesome practices of the practitioners in the aviation sector, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), is statutory empowered, through the enactment of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Act, to among other things, provide oversight.
“It also produced guidelines aimed at ensuring that airlines operate within the contemplation of international standards in Nigeria and to ensure that airline customers get value for the services they pay the airlines for.
“The Senate observes that the quests for economic diversification and foreign direct investment, which are parts of the. current administration’s policy thrust, will remain an illusion if the country’s aviation industry falls short ofbacceptable best practices across the globe.
“The Senate is aware that part 19 of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority Regulations of 2023, makes provisions for consumer protection in the Civil Aviation industry in Nigeria.
“However, enforcement has been an issue as most Nigeriane. are not even aware that they are entitled to compensation for time lost due to unnecessary delay, hence the need for the NCAA to activate this aspect of its Regulation so that Airline operators will seat up and be alive to their responsibilities.”
The Senate, after a robust debate on the matter, therefore mandated it’s Committee on Aviation to invite the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development to interface with its members.
Others mandated to appear before the panel included, Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority; Airline Operators and other relevant stakeholders.
The essence of the engagement is to among other things, unravel the circumstances behind the incessant flight delays and cancellations with a view finding lasting solutions to the problem.
The Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Tahir Monguno; the Minority Leader, Abba Moro; Senator Orji Uzor Kalu; and the Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau, spoke in support of the motion.

***N500m Will be saved annually

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has indicated that his ministry is going ahead with the relocation of the headquarters of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) from Abuja to Lagos.

“There is no going back. The directive has been given,” the minister said matter-of-factly on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Wednesday.

Senator Ali Ndume from Borno South as well as chieftains of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Northern Elders Forum ( NEF) and other northern groups had moved against the plan by FAAN and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), linking to a marginalise the north agenda

However, in line with current economic and operational realities, Keyamo said the movement of the headquarters of the airport authority to Lagos has become necessary.

Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said the movement of the FAAN headquarters would save the government and the people of Nigeria half a billion naira wasted on air tickets by officials of the Authority who have to commute from Lagos to Abuja and back.

The minister said top FAAN officials and aviation unions approached him that the head office of the authority be moved to Lagos for operational efficiency.

On whether President Bola Tinubu was aware of the decision or not, he said, “I take the decision; it’s a decision under the purview of a minister”.

He said only the headquarters of one of the seven aviation agencies in the country is being moved from Abuja to Lagos.

Keyamo said when his predecessor, Hadi Sirika, moved the headquarters of all aviation agencies from Lagos to Abuja in 2020, no adequate provision was made for the principal officers like the directors and the departments under them.

He clarified that the headquarters is where the decision-makers meet, not where the largest number of workers are and not where the biggest building is.

He said over 100 of the 132 workers at the head office are in Lagos while only the directors are in Abuja — without their support staffers.

Keyamo said the whole issue was compounded with the fact that FAAN is not yet digitalised and so, in one year, they spend half a billion naira on flight ticket between Lagos and Abuja alone.

“You see them flying every day to-and-fro Abuja to get one file signed. They fly everyday back and forth. In one year, they spent close to half a billion naira on flight tickets. N450m on flight tickets alone,” he said.

The Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, has disclosed that starting from January 2024 regulators of the aviation sector will begin to compel airlines to compensate passengers for delayed or cancelled flights

The Minister spoke on Tuesday when he appeared before the Joint National Assembly Committee on Aviation to defend his ministry’s budget for 2024 fiscal year.
Keyamo also assured that a list of airlines that delayed or cancelled flights will be published in the media on a weekly basis as part of the compensation scheme .

“I have called the customer’s satisfactory commission regarding the treatment of Nigerians. In fact, I have gone back to the committee, that is how much concerned I am.

Explaining further the minister said henceforth the list of airlines who record canceled flights, delayed flights or failed to fly as at when due will be published along with how many hours of delay on a weekly bases.

The aviation minister also proposed for discounts to be deducted from the flight tickets of airlines that delayed passengers as part of the compensation.
“For every delay, there is a report, an actual report by the regulator, what did they do? Did they pay compensation? And if they didn’t pay compensation we have said that the other way to get compensation if they can return cash is that once the passenger is buying the next ticket it must be given on a rebate.
“That passenger must be given a 50 percent rebate or 40 percent rebate because they must be a rebate”.

On the issue of Concession of Airports Keyamo said the best option to develop Nigerian airports is through concessions to investors.
“Private Partnership must come to the fore. It is not even negotiable, we don’t have the funds to do so.
“In concessioning, we will give the people what we want, not what they want. We have to decide what we want. It is the nature, the quality of the concession that all of us will agree on.

“We want to go ahead but I want everyone of us to sit down, look for the best hands, we should go to the end of this world to look for the best and the best thing for Nigeria and raise our offer to tier one, not tier two. Tier one investors to come to Nigeria and build our gateway for us”.