FAAN, Bi-Courtney Collaboration Signposts Better Aviation Industry

Chinedu Eze

If the signals that started Friday last week are anything to go by, it means that a jinx is about to be broken in the aviation industry. That jinx is the hitherto cat-mouse relationship between the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL).

Last weekend FAAN’s Managing Director, Captain Rabiu HamisuYadudu, led his management team on a condolence visit to the Chairman of Bi-Courtney Aviation Services, Dr. Wale Babalakin on the recent demise of his father, retired Justice Bolarinwa Babalakin.

The management team that accompanied Captain Yadudu was a full delegation made up of all the directors, airport terminal managers, general managers and deputy general managers at the MurtalaMuhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

Dr Babalakin was overwhelmed and excited when he saw them enter his living room in his Victoria Island residence and then hearts were melted on both sides.

At the spontaneity of that moment the two leaders realised that it was high time the gauntlet was dropped and their speech gave their heart away.

Captain Yadudu said, “About us coming, of course you should know that Pa Babalakin was an elder statesman. And for us as FAAN and Bi-Courtney, and any other individual, first thing first, we are all humans and Nigerians.

From there, any other thing will follow. So, we never tried to forget that and this management team tries to cultivate that. At this time, we must work with people that are working with us. The relationship is first. We are doing the same thing, we are delivering service to Nigerians, adding value to the industry, I think we should celebrate ourselves.”

And Dr Babalakin said, “I was pleasantly surprised when I was told that the esteemed management of FAAN was coming to visit us. I was expecting one or two persons, but to receive the whole management of FAAN in Lagos here today, I am very touched and I am most grateful.

“And now for our own partner, FAAN, to deem it fit to come and pay us condolence, it is moving, it is touching and we are extremely grateful. And the relationship you have referred to from this day will become better and we would come to understand each other in a better way, for the furtherance of the business we do and to enhance human relations,” Babalakin said.

The imbroglio between FAAN and BASL over the concession of the domestic airport terminal in Lagos known as MMA2 had a long history and efforts to settle it by third parties failed. It had to do with two key things: the duration of the concession and the territories given in the concession. But over the years, the litigation and the media war might have left each party frayed. It is now time to make peace and to work together.

In 2018, the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) met the two parties and wanted to reconcile them, but it is said that when two antagonists decide to make peace, the peace will be permanent.

While FAAN breached the terms of agreement between it and BASL in many ways, it is good that the agency made the move last Friday to collaborate and work together with the erstwhile antagonist. It also indicates that future investors will be sanguine when committing their funds in airport infrastructure development, as the federal government has since advanced the programme in concessioning the terminal facilities in four major airports in the country.

These airports include the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, the NnamdiAzikiwe International Airport, Abuja and the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa.

But it is good to read the advice Babalakin gave at one time he spoke about airport concession and his experience as a concessionaire managing the most successful airport terminal in Nigeria.

He said that to encourage investors into the sector, government must be disposed to abide by its agreements for the private sector to confidently invest in infrastructure development in the country, not just in aviation but also in providing other social amenities for Nigerians.

“When I hear about concession, all I say is that please follow the law only so that you are not exposed to phenomenal damages, especially if some of the bidders come from outside. I doubt if anybody who is coming from a very structured company will bid for any of those facilities because they will always ask for reference and they will be told that MMA2, though successful has been completely undermined, hindered by refusal to honour agreements. I also hope that when this concessioning takes place, there will be an independent body that will act as the regulator. The regulator cannot be a participant in the management of airports, it cannot. It is conflict of interest. You cannot be a judge in your own court,” Babalakin said.

But with the new hope at collaboration, there are many things FAAN and Bi-Courtney can do together to improve facilities in the industry and even encourage the private sector to make more financial commitments in aviation, especially in the area of infrastructure development.