A Communique issued at the end of the Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI) 4th 2019 Quarterly Business Breakfast Meeting held at GolfView Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, Thursday, December 5, 2019.

Theme:  Nigerian Aviation Beyond 2025

At the end of the meeting, the following conclusions were reached:

  1. Nigerian aviation professionals should project the nation’s aviation sector expectations into 2025 with appropriate implementation strategies in order to avoid a total surrender of the nation’s tangible and intangible assets to foreigners.
  2. The NCAA should encourage Nigerian Airlines to restructure their business models towards a better passenger boarding experience and comfort to enhance business competitiveness beyond 2025
  3. The Minister of Aviation is advised to update the nation’s aviation policies and implementation strategies to align with current global aviation realities. To this end, the meeting advocates the decentralisation, digitalisation, and devolution of the industry’s operations in preparedness for the anticipated aviation standards of 2025 and beyond.
  4. The ASRTI should continually champion research on pioneer professionals in each segment of the sector, and document them for historical purposes.
  5. Nigerian airlines should form alliances to develop and entrench commercial comparative advantage principles to enhance their survival beyond 2025.
  6. The government should continually ensure the provision of an enabling environment for the growth of aviation businesses to reduce incidences of the loss of Nigerian aviation professionals to other climes.
  7. The Minister of Aviation should direct a centralisation and harmonisation of aviation-related infrastructure and data systems as the industry approaches the future.
  8. The meeting recognised the need to reinforce the foundation of Nigeria’s aviation sector to succeed beyond 2025.
  9. The demise of numerous private airlines and the failure of government to effectively manage airlines in the past formed the basis for the meeting to advocate less government intervention and involvement in the business and relinquishment of control of the future to a business-oriented visionary private sector. To this end, NCAA should review upwards the conditions of establishing airlines that will compete effectively by 2025.
  10. The nation’s airports should be upgraded and positioned to attract businesses that will take the airports beyond being mere ports to centres of tourism and commerce, and widen the airports’ revenue sources beyond airport fees, charges and taxes. To achieve this, the meeting advocated the concession of the airports.
  11. There is a need to give more attention to the downstream sector of the nation’s aviation industry for the sake of the future, while also advocating the review of the compensation package for civil servants.
  12. There is a need for a more collaborative approach amongst government aviation agencies in project implementations and operations in order to reduce incidences of duplications and wastages as we look towards 2025.

Dr. Gabriel O. Olowo, FNIM, FITP

President, ASRTI.