Chinedu Eze
Many Nigerians have called on the federal government to establish a national carrier without foreign technical partner, insisting that Nigeria has knowledgeable and highly skilled aviators to efficiently run a national carrier. The call became more strident recently among aviation industry stakeholders, as government is in the process of establishing a national carrier with technical partner.
But THISDAY gathered from informed industry operatives that there are two key factors that would hamper Nigeria from successfully establishing a national carrier without technical partner that would manage the critical aspects of the airline. One of the two reasons is corruption and the other is lack of patriotism. They argued that it does not matter the percentage government might own in the airline, once government has any stake, it would be ruined by corruption because “only few Nigerians can sacrifice for the country and we are very corrupt citizens,” one of the stakeholders who spoke to THISDAY said.
The Executive Secretary of Aviation Round Table (ART), Group Captain John Ojikutu, told THISDAY that “Nigeria cannot do it alone, establishing a national carrier without foreign technical partners, just as no Nigeria private airline has been able to succeed in the last twenty years.”
According to Ojikutu, “Nigeria Airways went down because of too much involvement of the those in the administration of successive governments. Eventually we had a government carrier and not a national carrier. My advice again: get partnership from any airline from Canada or Australia or anyone from Europe or USA that is not on our BASA (Bilateral Air Service Agreement) Routes. The foreign partner must have nothing more than 40 per cent; credible Nigerian corporate organisations and investors should have nothing more than 25 per cent; the Nigeria public 25 per cent, FG and the 36 States 10 per cent. I gave this to the Minister and he approved it to be sent to the technical advisor.”
Ojikutu further said: “In conclusion we need the technical partners. Nigeria Airways failed when the British culture that established it was collapsed by the military government. Aero Contractor lost the bearing two years after CHC Helicopters signed out. Between the 80s and now, we have had more than 40 private airline operators, how many survived? How many West Africa regional airlines that were the Nigeria Airways contemporaries have survived the interference of their governments? Besides Ethiopian, Kenyan, South Africa Airways, and possibly Egypt Air, how many too have survived within the continent? We have a lot to do nationally on policy for National Carrier and flag Carriers if the National Carrier would not fly by next year.”
So it has been established that Nigeria cannot do it alone. Studies have also shown that most partnerships that African airlines have had with European carriers have failed. The defunct Nigeria Airways had had romance with British Airways and KLM of Netherlands and the partnership at a time collapsed. In September 2021, Kenya Airways and KLM-Air France ended their joint venture agreement. Kenya Airways was not better off during the partnership, as it was at the cusp of collapsing at various times.
Maybe it was in exasperation of Kenya Airways poor performance that prompted the Kenyan new president to decide to sell 49 per cent shares owned by government in the airline to Delta Air Lines. East African Business News reported on December 19 that Kenya’s President William Ruto met top executives of Delta Air Lines in his American trip where he launched the government bid to sell its entire 48.9 per cent stake in Kenya Airways.
The President held a meeting with executives from Delta Air Lines Inc, the largest US carrier by market value, last Thursday, the paper reported.
Travel expert and organiser of Akwaaba African Travel Market, Ambassador Ikechi Uko told THISDAY that Nigeria needs technical partner for its national carrier because “there are gaps in our own capacity.”
The travel expert also observed that partnerships between African airlines and European airlines have failed over the years because Europeans come with superiority complex and prejudice that the Africans are not efficient and adequately skilled.
“Why Europeans have failed trying to manage African airlines is because they come with superiority complex. European airlines have failed in all their endeavour in Africa, partnering with African carriers. There have been two successful partnerships in West Africa. One is African World Airlines (AWA), which is operated by Chinese carrier, Hainan Airlines and Asky, which has Ethiopian Airlines as core investor and technical partner.
“Emirates partnership with TAAG Angola failed and Etihad partnership with Seychelles national carrier, Air Seychelles also failed,” Uko said.
A former Nigeria Airways Limited senior official told THISDAY that for a technical partner to succeed, it must take charge of critical positions in the airline management and those positions are the anchor of the airline.
“If you want a national carrier to succeed in Nigeria, the top management position must be given to the technical partner. This may not sound well because our ego suggests that the managing director of such company that has government stake and is national carrier, must be manned by a Nigerian. Maybe not at inception; maybe later, but the technical partner has the obligation to succeed so it must take the position of an overseer. Another position is finance. The technical partner cannot leave the finance of the airline to anyone you can doubt his dedication and selflessness. Then the head of maintenance, that is a key area the technical partner should take full control of,” he said.
The industry stakeholders also observed that Nigeria must not have a national carrier, but if it decides to have one, it must have a technical partner for it to succeed.
