It is one thing to have airports within a given region momentarily closed to air traffic due to severe thunderstorms, hurricanes or even tornados.
It is however another thing to momentarily suspend airport operations due to low visibility weather minimums which are as a result of fog only. Time and time again, and even recently, has the latter been the norm and practiced in the Nigeria Airspace by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
While both procedures are meant to maintain safety in the airspace, one is totally irrelevant in currently owned technologies around the globe primarily in commercial or corporate flights but is essential for general aviation flights anywhere in the world that are not equipped with the Glass Cockpit.
It is no news to say that Nigeria possess one of the least effective air transportation equipments insitu aircrafts or at her airports when ranked in the world.
In an article written by Wole Shadare on March 12, 2009, passengers were stranded over bad weather at airports as NCAA was said to warned airlines, pilots on flight conditions due to bad weather experienced at some airports the day before.
The reason was because visibility was very poor, which made it difficult for aircrafts to land in Lagos, Kaduna etc. One continues to see situations like that year after year since my days while working with the defunct Nigerian Airways Limited nearly twenty years ago.
Passengers stranded at airports around the country because of poor weather visibility? Excuse me? Not these days when about the same number of years or even longer, the Glass Cockpit has been the order of the day in the western world!
Taking a lesson from the developed world such as United States of America, Europe and Asia, bad weather could mean heavy snow, severe thunderstorms, tornados, hurricanes and many adverse weather related situations, but certainly, no visibility issues can prevent the western passengers from taking care of businesses as airlines go on their normal flight schedules.
Comparing the adverse weather condition one experiences in Nigeria, and perhaps I may say; only severe thunderstorm may cause similar scenarios like that of the developed world.
Other than that and sad to say the NCAA may cause unnecessary delay of Nigeria flights due to both lack of adequate equipments on board their Nigerian commercial aircrafts and at the airports because the two go hand in hand.
This is by no means the NCAA's fault because it is only a regulatory unit of the Aviation Ministry and doing its job of maintaining safety in the airspace using available tools at their disposal.
In this business, the developed world has conquered visibility issues with highly sophisticated equipments incorporated as instruments such as; Electronic Flight Instrument Systems (EFIS). Their Autoland systems are categorized in three stages due to the integrity of the auto-pilot systems.
The categories in order of priority are: CAT 3B, CAT 3A, and CAT 1. CAT 1 is the equivalent to what is flown by most if not all Nigerian airlines. It is important to note that for an aircraft to fly CAT 3B, the airport most be equipped with Instrument Landing Systems and certified as a CAT 3B Airport.
With aircraft Auto Pilot Systems calibrated and certified for CAT 3B, weather visibility could be zero and flights would land and take off without much cognizance to it.
The future seems promising that Arik Air may be one of the few airlines (if any) to be equipped with EFIS on their currently purchased aircrafts. One cannot say if their aircraft are certified for CAT 3B etc. Even if they were, they could not utilize these features at the Nigerian airports because these airports are yet to be upgraded as at today!
Until the airports are also equipped with modern Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) to commensurate with compatible systems interactivity, a "one way system" simply becomes redundant despite having these equipments on board the Arik Air aircrafts.
Most airliners in Nigeria use "inventive" analog instruments which cannot perform these functions, consequently bridging the adaptability of the airports for aircraft equipped with EFIS and Autoland systems.
Until our leaders come to light with these changing technology, which of course is technology that is over 15 to 20y years old, and begin to invest in the future of air travel in Nigeria, it may be a little too late to try to catch up when Nigeria eventually becomes isolated.
Nigeria is blessed with great weather at the envy of the most parts of the world, This is no excuse as to why or perhaps that is why we do not seem to want to be focused in investing in the future for our children and generations to come.
It is time to invest in our infrastructures in aviation for the future to avoid not only being isolated by the rest of the world but disasters as well that may be due to lack of better equipments.
For the economists out there, imagine the implicit and explicit costs in millions if not billions of Naira involved when business travelers cannot get to their destinations due to avoidable weather minimums? It is time to reform, I mean Honest Reforms of aviation systems in Nigeria.
In my first series article few weeks ago, I wrote about the need to get Nigerian airports up to date, to conform to 'First Class' technologies around the globe.
This move should be urgent, to serve both the immediate short-term as well as the long-term needs, and would prepare Nigeria for the 20st Century and beyond in aviation related developments. Until this happens, air carriers in the country will not see the incentives to purchasing the kind of aircraft that is commensurate with today's global technologies, let alone the safety component, which has the cumulative effect of affecting tourism either ways.
This month's article presents the 'corner stone' long-term reform Nigeria needs. The issue of Knowledge Management in Nigerian Aviation Systems particularly in the training and upkeep of engineers, pilots, air traffic controllers and other trades should be a top priority in any reforms that should take place in Nigeria.
This is where a routine systematic flow of new breeds of professionals into the market of; aircraft engineers, pilots, and air traffic controllers be one of government's main priority as products of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) Zaria. For those already in practices, managing their knowledge base is collectively both their individual responsibilities and that of their employers.
In March 25, 2009 edition of The Guardian, news writer Wole Shadare reported that The Aviation Minister, Babatunde Omotoba, "has decried the alleged low level of aircraft repairs and maintenance operations in the country, saying his ministry and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) were fashioning ways of attracting reputable overseas hangar maintenance companies into the country".
Further report stated that the Director General of NCAA, Harold Demuren, said "Nigeria's civil aviation sector was fast-growing, with a number of aircraft acquisitions and emergence of younger generation of aircraft in the fleet of several carriers… that the development posed several challenges, including MRO, which drains the airlines' finances".
One has to stop and ask the minister what would be his administration's first step to stop that trend! Certainly, no word of mouth is going to accomplish anything without getting to the root of the problem and begin to make incremental steps to stop such trend!
Surprisingly though, for the minister to say the situation is "…alleged low level of aircraft repairs…" means that he does not show absolute convictions the problem exists. Such statement is cause for worry among aviators who long have concluded Nigeria is in a serious predicament when it comes to aircraft maintenance and related costs that is plaguing Nigeria's already fragile aviation industry.
My solution is, reform the NCAT Zaria to one that truly fulfills its mission and expand the horizon for the future of the air carriers' intended man power. It is important to again "lay the foundation" for the future even if the fruits are unnoticeable during the minister's terms in office.
In August of 2006, the then Rector- Engr. (Mrs.) M.F.A. Odutola rightly stated in her speech that from the early 1990s through 2000 training activities virtually came to a halt, only to see 30 student pilots graduated in 2004, roughly 10-12 years later after enrollment for a 2.5 or three years programme.
Although, she indicated her regime was instrumental to those students who finally "saw the light and exited the tunnel that 2004, her administration planned to turn things around. She lamented on: "obsolete training equipment/facilities, decaying infrastructure, demoralized workforce, poorly trained instructors, severe instructional staff attrition, generalized state of apathy in the College".
Here you have it Hon. Minister! Even when the hangers come rolling from foreign investors, who will do the jobs? If you are counting on man power from foreign nations too, such man power will not fly to Nigerian shores without "fat" contracts! Then the money you anticipated saving the air carriers would just be a myth. Candidly, no investor will embark on such investment when local man power is not in sight. This goes to say that rhetoric alone can not reform Nigerian aviation problems.
However, I have to commend the minister for at least identifying one of the problems that are facing Nigerian airlines today.
In conclusion, the famous saying that "charity begins at home" applies to everything we do. Investors look for softer grounds where they put a few dollars and reap great profits. No foreign investor or even local ones are that generous to take on a national problem as theirs and try to solve the ills of Nigerian Aviation Systems.
In economics, the laws of supply and demand are not for nothing. When the demand is there, supply follow and vice-versa. There is no doubt in question that there is considerable demand for Maintenance Repair Organization (MRO) in Nigeria because airlines have paid over the roof for heavy maintenance on their aircrafts abroad.
These types of maintenance, which requires hangers, are mandated by the NCAA Federal Aviation Regulations, as well as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and are capital intensive.
If you are in this business as an air carrier, no one should tell you how involved your capital can be, because this is serious business. It is true that our leaders have downplayed the importance of sustainable aviation systems for too long, as evident by allowing the collapse of Nigeria Airways Limited and currently in the making of a virtual collapse of Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria.
We are beginning to see the pitfalls, and these are going to get worst as time elapses until reform is made to begin to counter the demise of this great industry.
For the records, Nigeria College of Aviation Technology, Zaria has played vital role in producing pilots, engineers, traffic controllers and many more trades in the African Continent citizens including the author of this article.
It is not for one to say if our leaders honestly think through when tackling problems within their domain, or the problems are just too big making tackling them impossible. One of the problems Nigeria face today is that of frequent change in ministerial leadership which at times appear "without cause" like the so-called minister reshuffle?
However, despite these changes, 'set goals' for the ministry can be achieved irrespective of who is at the helms of affairs as long as there is the honesty, desire and dedication to ensure just that.
For the Nigerian aviation systems to remain relevant to her citizens, customers both locally and abroad, or creating the investment atmosphere for maintenance hangers in the country for effective airline operation and efficiency, the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria must overcome the following challenges: funding, research and development but most importantly, be affordable for all interested Nigerians who want to such lines of professions.
Immediate reforms, I mean honest reforms have to happen at this training center and our aviation systems at large.
