Captain Ado Sanusi, Chief Executive Officer of Aero Contractors, has revealed that an ineffective regulatory framework was a major setback for the country’s aviation industry in 2023.
Sanusi disclosed this on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television, monitored by newsmen.
According to him, the series of aeroplane incidents recorded in 2023 were caused by the inefficient regulatory framework of appropriate government agencies.
He also noted that the implementation of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations 2023 (Nig. CARs 2023) without requisite infrastructure was a significant challenge to the country’s aviation sector in the period under review.
Sanusi, the former CEO of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, added that persistent foreign exchange scarcity and multiple taxation are broader challenges Nigeria’s aviation sector grapples with.
He urged the government to address these challenges to save the sector from collapsing in 2024.
“Looking at the year 2023, what comes to mind is the ineffectiveness of regulators in the aviation sector, which caused a lot of challenges in the year under review. The ineffectiveness and reactive nature of regulators have resulted in a series of incidents in the country’s industry because operators feel that regulators are ineffective.
“Also, the implementation of the Nig. CARs 2023 created a problem because I don’t think they have thought through the process, which says that operators must have at least six aeroplanes before kickstarting operations. Meanwhile, the infrastructure to support the regulation is not put in place.
“In a bigger picture, the country’s economy negatively affects the sector. The dollar, the import of JetAI, and many other things affected the aviation sector. Some airlines were forced to cease operations, and many more may collapse because of the economic hardship, foreign exchange scarcity and taxation that have not been addressed,” he said.
According to reports, aviation experts expressed fears over rising plane crash-landing incidents within Nigeria’s aviation industry.