The Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila says there’s a need for local airlines in Nigeria to be given a level playing ground as their foreign counterparts in the sector.
He was speaking at a meeting with Aviation Stakeholders in Abuja.
He said that the meeting has been a long time coming haven been rescheduled a couple of times.
“The whole idea is to see how to resolve whatever issues there are because you are all in business and business has to move on but business can not move on without funds”. Gbajabiamila said.
He said that on the issue of foreign airlines’ blocked funds, the House would liase with relevant authorities to make sure that the funds are released.
The Chairman House Committee on Aviation, Hon. Nnoli Nnaji, said that the Nigerian aviation sector deserves reciprocity in operations.
“Foreign airlines are exploiting Nigerians to the extreme! Nigerians should not be allowed to be exploited for things they know nothing about.”
The Area Manager, West & Central Africa of the International Air Transport Association, IATA, Dr. Samson Fatokun, pointed out that aviation business is international and the law that governs aviation is also international.
He said that airlines’ block funds of about seven hundred million dollars were trapped in Nigeria as the Nigerian account policy was driving aviation investors away.
“One of the biggest challenges facing the aviation sector is the repatriation of funds,”. he said.
For his part, the spokesperson Airlines Association of Nigeria, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, said that cost disparity was killing local airlines.
He said that foreign airlines’ monies were not blocked but in the banks.
He noted that the cost of tickets are already high and that foreign airlies convertng tickets with the parallel markets rates instead of the Central Bank rates makes tickets even higher.
Prof. Okonkwo also noted that even local airlines can not use their monies because they do not have access to foreign exchange.
“To create a window for foreign exchange, we must be considered. We need to look inwards,”
Prof. Okonkwo said.
He added that other countries are supporting their airlines post COVID-19 but the only support the sector has had is four billion US dollars from the Nigerian government, which is grossly inadequate.
The Chief Executive Officer of Airpeace Airlines, Mr. Allen Onyema
stressed that Nigerian airlines were not against foreign airlines repatriating their funds.
He said that Nigerians must begin to destigmatise themselves.
” We must begin to love ourselves. How do you explain that someone flying nine hours from South Africa to London pays less than a Nigerian flying six hours,” Onyema said.
A representative of Travel Agency, Mr. China Ihe, said that paying for flight tickets in dollars is affecting Nigerians economically.
He urged thet the foreign airlines to open their portals to enable Nigerians buy tickets locally and affordably.
Hauwa Abu
