NAAPE Boss Tasks Airlines On Indigenous Manpower

Operators of the Nigerian airlines have
been urged to dedicate substantial part of their revenue to the training of
indigenous pilots, engineers, marketers and other stakeholders to reduce the
cost of expatriates.

The President of National Association of
Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), Isaac Balami who made this call at a
conference on aviation roadmap organised by League of Airport and Aviation
Correspondents (LAAC) in Lagos decried the absence of maintenance, repairs and
overhaul facilities in the Nigerian aviation industry.

Balami expressed fear that if this action
was not urgently taken, foreigners would take over the industry in the nearest
future and this might threaten the security of the country, create loss of
funds and also deny Nigerians employment.

He recalled that when Nigerian Airways
Limited was operational, engineers working in the airline were carrying out
C-check maintenance of the aircraft.

He therefore, advocated for the
establishment of MRO facility in Nigeria, saying that the facility would help
in providing additional 3,000 jobs to Nigerians in the aviation industry.

“Today we cannot even change the landing
gear of an aircraft in Nigeria. Before now, in this same country Nigeria
Airways did C and D checks but as at today we cannot carry out such level of
maintenance. If we have a C-check facility it can provide three thousand jobs to
Nigerians”.

Stories by Reward Akwu