Senator Ubah Asks FG To Protect Indigenous Airlines From Unfair Competition

In line with his economic recovery agenda, the
Senator representing Anambra South, Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah has urged
the Federal Government to step in and protect Nigerian indigenous
airlines from unfair competition with foreign airlines.

Senator Ubah made the call through a motion on “Unfair Competition:
Urgent Need to Protect Nigeria’s Indigenous Airlines from Extinction
Due to multiple Designations and Frequencies Granted Foreign Airlines
in Nigeria”.

According to Senator Ubah who also sponsored the motion, foreign
airlines are now designated to multiple routes within Nigeria and
Airlines like Ethiopian Airline, Turkish Airline and Emirates Airline
operate in cities across the country.

Worried about the fate of the indigenous airlines with the spate of
multiple designations given to the foreign airlines, Senator Ubah
further noted that besides multiple designations, foreign airlines are
now being encouraged to do multiple frequencies into the country and
within the country, which is not allowed in other countries and if
urgent measures are not taken, the new international flight operations
of Air Peace which is the biggest Airline in West and Central Africa
will be stifled.

Speaking further on dangers of the unfair competition, Senator Ubah
disclosed that Nigerian jobs are seriously at risk as a result of this
dire situation since it is the indigenous airlines that provide
massive job opportunities for Nigerians, and the number of jobs
created by all the foreign airlines put together is not up to what Air
Peace alone created in its first year of existence.

The Anambra South Senator further disclosed that Nigerian indigenous
airlines have the capacity to cover all the domestic routes being
operated now by foreign airlines and urged the Federal government not
to allow Air Peace have the ugly experience of other Nigerian Airlines
such as ARIK, Virgin Nigeria, Medview and others who were forced out
of international routes by this trend of unfair advantages allowed
foreign airlines in the country.

In response to Senator Ubah’s Motion, the Senate resolved to invite
the permanent secretary of the ministry of Transport, the Director
General of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, and Managing
Director of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, to explain to
the Senate why foreign airlines are allowed to fly multiple routes
within Nigeria to mop up passengers; a practice not allowed in other
countries.

The Senate also resolved to invite the indigenous airline operators to
explain the challenges they are facing in the aviation industry in
Nigeria as well as to point the way forward, and also to mandate
foreign airlines to provide statistics of Nigerians in their
employment and encourage them to employ more Nigerians and to partner
with indigenous airline, and urged the Federal Government to give the
indigenous Airlines the necessary support and protection to keep them
afloat.