Aviation Expert Urges Improved Aircraft Maintenance

The President, Aviation
Round Table (ART), Capt. Dele Ore, has  Thursday urged the Federal Government to improve aircraft maintenance facilities at the nation’s four major airports.
Ore, who is also the former Director, Flight Operations, of the defunct Nigeria Airways, told  newsmen  in Lagos that such improvement would reduce the capital flight being experienced by the indigenous airlines.
The major airports in the country are located in Lagos, Abuja, Port-Harcourt and Kano. He lamented the country’s failure to have standard maintenance facilities at the major airports
According to him, until the country has a standard Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility at our major airports, the nation would continue to spend a large chunk of earnings in the aviation sector on maintenance of aircraft outside the country.
He said if the project was executed, the country would have saved the indigenous airlines from expending huge revenues on aircraft maintenance overseas.
The aviation expert said that half of the amount was used in ferrying the airplanes abroad, crew accommodation, allowances, over flier charges, landing and parking in the country of repair and other sundry charges.
Ore observed that corporate light jets were already having solutions to the maintenance hangar facilities in the country with the construction of hangars by some private jet operators such as Bristow Helicopters and a few others.
The expert, however, said that the bigger jet operators were still faced with the problem.
“The bigger jets still have to fly out for anything beyond Check B; Check C costs airlines several amounts of money to do, Check D is a total overhaul of the aircraft, because in the past, the plan was there.
“And the defunct Nigeria Airways was already having capability for doing Check D for their 737, F28, F27, everything was being taken care of in the country,’’ he said.
Ore said that the airlines were presently complaining that it was not enough to have customs duties removed on aircraft spares and acquisitions.
“Aircraft maintenance is the core item because once you have to fly your aircraft out, not only are you going to pay for the maintenance.