FUEL SURCHARGE: EFCC’S INVITATION TO BRITISH CARRIERS

Its kudos to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) for inviting te management of these airlines with respect to refunding fuel surcharge collected sometime ago on the Nigerian route just as they have done on some other routes.
I expect the NCAA to provide the commission with the needed support and information not just harassing domestic carriers that impose such charges.
Corporate travel managers, travel agents, stakeholders and the consumers themselves should coordinate and support the agency with necessary information.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should also, look at the remittance history of these carriers if it conforms to the country’s foreign exchange management laws or start a process stifling the remittance process.
We should wake up and understand that, it’s not the passengers demand alone that attracts the request for extra frequencies by the foreign carriers but the ease at which they remit and ferry ticket sales and associated surcharges out of the country. If we cannot protect our carriers, we should at least protect the passengers and the economy.

The reserve bank of India an equivalent of CBN recently advised the foreign airlines to discontinue immediately the practice of using overseas banks for settlement of India rupee transactions on account of sale of air tickets in India, while the Venezuelan government strict remittance policy has discouraged request for extra currency.
It’s another wake up call for the government and relevant agencies

CONGRATS MR PRESIDENT: WHAT’S NEXT ?

Now that, Mr President has won the elections with a transparent and undisputable mandate and has also promised a single term. He has inadvertently shaken off the political baggage that impinges on effective decision making. I expect his policy thrust for the industry to be business like, radical, proactive and protective.
The politically motivated decisions and concessions taken in the months preceding the elections were not in the best interest of the industry. He must urgently start a process of developing the airport infrastructure without recourse to public funds which must be complemented by having vibrant flag carriers.
Therefore the government should immediately initiate a process of moving our airlines from individually owned to airlines owned by Nigerians. It’s a tonic needed for them to successfully key into public oriented palliatives and policies.

MAEVIS: The Rumoured Cancellation

The rumoured plan of the government to cancel the maevis deal is discriminatory and punitive.
The industry is plagued with messy concessional agreements that need to be reviewed and renegotiated not cancellation as recommended by the honourable minister of aviation.
The cancellation option will lure the industry into another prolonged litigation process, that will once again, take FAAN’s assets and bank accounts hostage, as witnessed in the past.
The president and his cabinet members will have moved on while FAAN and other stakeholders bear the brunt of the litigation.
I will like to reinstate that all parties must shift grounds and be prepared to renegotiate all agreements.
We must accept that at a stage in the concession process fairness and equity were breeched, which must have necessitated the rushed commissioning of some projects and the vehicles given as gift to top government officials for facilitating , approving and turning the blind eyes to the legal bobby traps in the agreements.
Maevis should not be singled out, all the concessions must be reviewed while also empowering the ICRC by updating the ICRC act rather than have the senate and house committees harassing everybody thru incoherent probes laced with selfish motives.
The concessionaires have added infrastructural value to our airports risking their assets through loans from our troubled banks, the reverberating effect if not properly handled will be a collateral damage to the nation.
Mr. President rather than cancel, please renegotiate the controversial concessions in the industry, this will nurture peace and stimulate the necessary infrastructural growth.
In concluding, let me quote a recent presentation of IATA DG to the Brazilian government that is preparing airport facilities for the next world cup, that “Concessions is the way forward, they must be accompanied by transparent, robust and independent economic regulation supported by effective industry consultations”.