IKEJA – The Minister of Aviation, Mr Osita Chidoka, has urged the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) not to compromise safety standards in the sub-sector.
The minister said in a message to the National Executive Council meeting of NAAPE in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, on Saturday.
According to a statement given to newsmen on Sunday in Lagos, the minister was represented by Mr Clement Awogbawi, the Deputy Director, Safety and Technical Policy in the ministry.
Chidoka said the transformation in the aviation industry was remarkable with the improvement of airports across the country.
Describing the airports as user-friendly, the minister said the Federal Government would maintain the tempo of the airport remodelling.
He said airports’ transformation could not total without NAAPE’s contributions in the areas of aircraft maintenance and building of aircraft maintenance hangers in the country.
“The availability of maintenance hangars in the country will not only reduce the high cost of aircraft maintenance carried out outside Nigeria, but will also generate employment opportunities and reduce capital flight.
“The quest for Nigeria to become a hub in the sub-region cannot be attained without adequate aircraft maintenance hangar facilities in the country,’’ he said.
Chidoka, however, called for private participation in the building of the maintenance hangars as government could not do it alone.
He said the issue of security and safety would be given priority in order to ensure safety and security in the industry.
The minister commended the Akwa Ibom Government for taking the lead in building a hangar that could accommodate wide-bodied aircraft.
Gov. Godswill Akpabio said the Second Ibom International Airport runway would be completed soon.
He said the state had over 400 trained engineers and pilots all over the country, adding that they would be recalled to contribute to the development of the sector.
Akpabio, who was represented by the State Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Godwin Ntukude, said the state did not depend on the Federal Government for the maintenance of the hangar.
The National President of NAAPE, Mr Isaac Balami, described aircraft maintenance as one of the most expensive items on the budget of any airline which accounted for 15 to 40 per cent of its annual expenditure.
He said there should be maintenance, repairs and overhaul of facilities at the Ibom Airport to cope with the increasing number of airlines flying the route.(NAN)
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