HAJJ FLIGHTS: IT’S A RECKLESS SUBSIDY

HAJJ FLIGHTS: IT’S A RECKLESS SUBSIDY
The recent decision of the government to grant additional waivers to airlines and organisations that lobbied through a shredded bidding process for Hajj flights despite getting regulatory waivers from the National Hajj Commission(NAHCON) and the NCAA is another unnecessary presidential intervention and a concurrent political misstep in the industry, which has gradually become the hallmark of this administration.
The NCAA issued a statement that only airlines with Air Operators Certificate (AOC) will be eligible to bid for the hajj flights, while NAHCON barely two months ago, issued a statement that, only airlines that have cleared financial backlogs with the government agencies will operate those flights. To our chagrin, It’s the same agencies Mr. President have now given directives to grant a whopping 65% discount on operational charges, what a policy somersault. A curious look at the list of would be Hajj operators, shows that the two bodies have either reversed themselves policy-wise or have granted an executive induced waiver.
The government should be notified that airlines publicly owned or substantially owned by Nigerians are the only ones qualified for public subsidy not airlines owned by individuals. Also airlines operating national or emergency assignments are also considered for such subsidy or those operating public service obligation routes.
The government weakness or is it panicky frame is due to the coming elections and the unending Zoning brouhaha of the ruling party, which has necessitated this hajj gift, at the expense of public income. If they have to grant such subsidy, it should support weak routes on the west coast and in Nigeria, such as Makurdi, Bauchi, Akure e.t.c.
This waiver is simply reckless and unwarranted, the government should be prepared to give this wasteful gift to Christian pilgrim operators whether owned by Nigerians or not. Also the management of the agencies will be put under pressure to meet operational expenses that might breed industrial disharmony which may have grave safety implications for the industry.
The government should please, realise that the operators of Hajj and Christian pilgrimages were not decreed to operate these flights but voluntarily participated in a process that has been generating substantial revenue for them despite the poor allowances being paid to overworked operating Nigerian crew compared to the operating crew of wet leased aircrafts used often times to augment operations that have grown larger than their operational capacity.
The government recently evacuated Nigerians from Egypt and Libya using foreign airlines even from countries that do not have Cat 1 certification like us, they went as far as Bangladesh to get aircraft, yet Nigerian operators would have been given night and day flights to spilt thereby keeping the critical and necessary funds with our carriers rather than granting waivers
If the government feels they have solved all our problems and can afford to give foreign carriers charter flights and domestic charter operators’ waiver, I will like to quote, the president of the black mayors who visited Oshogbo, the western part of Nigeria, recently for the black Mayor’s conference. He said “as we drove around we envision not the reality of clean water, lack of consistent electrical power, lack of smooth highways and street, lack of sanitary sewer system, severe poverty, the missing educational systems, lack of proper health care, lack of housing, but what we see is the enormous opportunity to work together and solve these problems”. Do I need to add any other thing?
Finally all stakeholders should get up and be counted in the struggle for a Fly Nigeria Act just as they have given it to shipping industry in section 33 of the NIMASA act, while the operators must as a matter of urgency expand ownership to reflect Nigerians before keying into public support and facilities.