TRANSPORT-NIGERIA-SOUTH AFRICA: Collaboration On Air Transport

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Remi Oyo

LAGOS, Jul 25 2000 (IPS) - Nigeria and South Africa will collaborate on a lucrative air route between Lagos and New York laying to rest months of speculation on which country would win the bid thrown open by Abuja. Effective Aug 15, according to Nigerian Aviation Minister, Kema Chikwe, Nigeria Airways and South African Airlines will jointly operate the Lagos-New York route.

The choice of South African airlines, says Chikwe, follows the work of a committee set up by government to assess bids from 11 airlines.

The deal is the second by the Nigerian airline which is currently in partnership with British Airways on the London route.

IPS understands that the 11 airlines included the national carriers of Ghana and Virgin airlines owned by British entrepreneur Richard Branston. Ghana and South Africa were short listed by the committee which presented its report to government this week.

“The decision of the committee to choose two African airlines out of 11 interested organisations will boost South-South cooperation and the political image of Africa,” Chikwe said.

The Aviation Minister said the resumption of direct air operations to New York from Nigeria will help the government realise its goal of making Lagos an international hub for air travel.

Direct flights to the United States were suspended by Washington in August 1993, citing security considerations.

The Minister explained that “although the ban on air links between Nigeria and the United States” was lifted last December, flight operations could not resume immediately due to logistical issues that needed to be resolved.

She did not give details of the issues but former Aviation Minister, Olusegun Agagu, had told the media in May that government had set up the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority “for the effective coordination, monitoring and enforcement of rules governing the aviation industry”.

Chikwe however said: “I hope the American government will assist us by removing any further obstacles to making this dream come true”.

Industry watchers last week remained cautious regarding comments on the new Nigeria-South Africa deal but the former President of Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, Captain Jerry Agbeyegbe, says the partnership will provide greater opportunity for the two nations to work together.

Agbeyegbe told the ‘Guardian’ newspaper that worries remain as to the future of the Nigeria Airways. “One hopes sincerely that Nigeria Airways would not come out as counter dog as has always been the case in the past when the interest of the airline was not taken care of”.

Abayomi Jones, managing director of Nigeria Airways, told IPS last week that the “deal is a welcome development”.

“We are happy to be associated with a sister African airline – the South African airline . It is bringing a lot of added value to the partnership,” Jones said,

“We know that by the end of the first agreement period of 12 months, Nigeria Airways would have been put in proper shape for privatisation,” he added.

Nigeria Airways has, in the past, been plagued by years of mismanagement which led to the near depletion of its aircraft stock.

An on-going judicial probe of past administrations, instituted by President Olusegun Obasanjo, heard recently that the airline lost 4.3 million US dollars between 1985 and 1986 deposited for the purchase of two aircraft which were never delivered.

But Jones confirmed that the airline now has “three flying aircraft which fly regularly. We have reopened the Dubai and Jeddah route and we are sourcing repairs for faulty aircraft”.

He said he expects that “by the first week of October, we should have two more air buses, three 737s and one DCIO”.

He added that the airline has now been accepted by “the Boeing Company for the sourcing of spare parts. We have begun paying all our major creditors and our image is looking up”.

South Africa Airlines was established 66 years ago. It holds the record of carrying out the first non-stop flight from Africa to Europe in 1962. It was also the first to fly from Africa to South and North America in 1969.

With a fleet of 85 aircraft, the airline currently flies to 56 destinations, half of them African.