Med-View makes case for local airlines in pilgrims airlift

The managing director of Med-View Airline, Mr. Muneer Bankole has called on the National Hajj Commission (NAHCON) to give priority to indigenous airlines over their foreign counterparts in the airlift of hajj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.
Bankole who made the plea in Abuja during the inauguration of the 28-member Air Carriers Screening Committee for the 2018 Hajj operations was reacting to the government’s award of a chunk of the hajj traffic market to foreign carriers.
Bankole who argued that giving the local airlines a prominent part to part in the exercise would create employment opportunities for Nigerians however commended the commission for the transparency and accountability it displayed in the handling, screening and selection of air carriers since its inception in 2006.
The screening committee, which is headed by NAHCON commissioner of operations, Alhaji Abdullahi Moddibo has its membership drawn from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET}, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) and the Nigeria Custom Service (NCS)
Meanwhile, a source who craved anonymity explained that Saudi Arabia, being the only country where Hajj is performed, has a royal decree giving Saudi Designated Carriers (not Flynas alone) the right to airlift 50 per cent of Hajj Traffic under government quota from any country coming for Hajj.
He noted that the arrangement is beyond NAHCON and pre-dates the current leadership of the Commission.
He said before 2010, the Saudi Government collected royalties in lieu of this right. However, it began to demand for an implementation of this right in 2010 after Nigeria, suspended the payment of royalty to Saudi Arabia as a result of its own choice not to participate in the airlift of Nigerian pilgrims.
He further stated that when the Second Board of NAHCON came in 2011, Saudi Arabia re-iterated its demand and Nigeria objected.
This, he said led to a series of correspondences, meetings that almost resulted to a diplomatic row between the two countries threatened the performance of Hajj.
“To avoid this, Nigeria sent a delegation in August 2014 under the leadership of the then Minister of State II Foreign Affairs, Dr Nuruddeen Muhammad. The delegation agreed to give the Saudi carriers, 9,500 pilgrims to ensure Hajj 2014 was not affected pending a conclusive resolution of the face-off which was on-going for three years,” he said.
He further stated that in February 2015, a bilateral meeting involving Nigeria’s Ministry of Aviation, NCAA, NAHCON, Airlines, Saudi General Authority on Civil Aviation (GACA) and Saudi Ministry of Hajj was held in Jeddah.
A Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) was signed by the Vice Chairman of GACA for Saudi Arabia and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Aviation for Nigeria. The BASA among other things, provided for a gradual compliance of Nigeria with the Saudi decree.
Nigeria would yield 25 per cent of its pilgrims under Government quota in 2015, 35 per cent in 2016, 45 per cent in 2017 and ultimately 50 per cent from 2018.
“Nigeria is the only country I know of, that has dragged and later agreed on such gradual compliance. All other countries coming for Hajj are in compliance with policy including those that have strong national carriers.”
Aviation consultant and chief executive officer of Centurion Securities, Group Capt. John Ojikutu described it as a total rip off and called on government to query the Saudi authorities over this move.
He lamented that the domestic airlines are not seen championing any of the causes or challenging the government on why there had been preferences for foreign airlines on government aviation policies.
Ojikutu noted that that the way to go about it was to query the Saudi decision to deny the nation the right to fully organize the airlifting of our nationals or find out those behind Flynas Airline.