A Communique issued at the end of the Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI), 1st 2019 Quarterly Business Breakfast Meeting held at GolfView Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, Thursday, March 14, 2019.

Theme: Nigerian Travel Agencies Challenges and Regulations

At the end of the four-hour discussion, the following resolutions were reached:

  1. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) as the regulatory agency for air travel business in Nigeria, should go beyond licensing of travel agents and take steps to address the challenges that have in recent years, caused a decline in air bookings and performance of travel agencies in the country.
  2. Government  through the NCAA has to create an enabling environment for the growth of travel agents in Nigeria
  3. The local content law in Nigeria needs to be applied fully in regulatory operations of travel agents so as to preserve the sector for benefits of Nigerian citizens.
  4. Stakeholders in the air travel business (airlines, NCAA, FAAN, and NANTA) need to frequently share data information to avoid conflicting figures in industry data which impede planning.
  5. All travel agents in Nigeria should make deliberate efforts to register with the NCAA to attract favourable regulatory benefits and protection from external exploitation.
  6. The NCAA as the sole regulator of air travel business in Nigeria has a duty to approach IATA with the country’s expectations in terms of standards that should be applied in the Nigerian environment, regarding travel agency business so as to protect its own.
  7. IATA activities should be looked into, this must be in line and respect local laws to protect the travel agencies in Nigeria without interference into commercial activities.
  8. The National Association of Nigerian Travel Agents (NANTA) should develop and implement rules that can regulate the conduct and ethics of its members in their transaction with customers and airlines
  9. There is a need for stakeholders to give attention and emphasis on training and professionalism in the travel agency business.
  10. There is a need to sign the Fly-Nigeria-Act legislation to help protect the Nigeria travel market for both local airlines and travel agents.

FOR: AVIATION SAFETY ROUND TABLE INITIATIVE (ASRTI/ART)
OLUMIDE OHUNAYO.