CHUKS OKOH

Crisis is brewing in the aviation sector as members of the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP) have planned showdown with the debtors of agencies.

Airlines and other operators are owing aviation agencies huge debts currently affecting their performance

The union warned that the situation is threatening the safety, stability and sustainability of Nigeria’s aviation industry.

In a statement, ANAP Secretary-General, Comrade AbdulRasaq Saidu, said the growing debt burden has severely weakened the financial capacity of key aviation agencies, making it increasingly difficult to meet workers’ obligations, fund safety-critical training, and carry out regulatory inspections.

He noted that industrial unrest has already been threatened in agencies including the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), while the continued suspension of staff training and other essential safety activities poses serious risks to the sector.

Saidu acknowledged the financial challenges confronting airlines but condemned the continued failure of some operators to remit statutory revenues collected on behalf of government agencies and to settle bills for services rendered, warning that such practices could ultimately cripple both the agencies and the airlines.

He also decried the persistence of inter-agency debts, describing them as equally damaging to service delivery and the implementation of improved conditions of service for workers.

The ANAP scribe urged the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development to urgently convene a stakeholders’ crisis meeting involving aviation agencies, airlines, unions and other industry players to develop a lasting solution.

He stressed that immediate intervention is necessary to avert service disruptions and a wider industry crisis.