The House of Representatives has asked the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), to compensate passengers diverted to neighbouring countries, due to poor landing equipment in Nigerian airports.
This came Tuesday, following a motion under matters of urgent public importance presented by Hon. Wale Raji, who lamented that there have been clamour over the years by aviation stakeholders on the need to upgrade the nation’s airports with modern landing equipment from the existing category 1 and 2 to category 3 ILS.
The House has also directed its committee on aviation to liaise with relevant regulatory agencies and other stakeholders in the industry to ensure the procurement of modern landing equipment, and installation in designated airports without further delay.
According to Raji, “The constant diversion of airlines to alternate airports outside Nigeria has adversely affected the image of Nigerian aviation and undermine the economic benefits accruable to the country and the airlines”, blaming part of the problem in the sector on regular interagency differences.
“The lack of cooperation amongst the aviation regulatory agencies on account of petty differences has negatively impacted on the efficient management of our airports”, the lawmaker stated while leading debate on the motion, adding that the call for urgent intervention was predicated on the high number of delayed and cancelled flights during the hammatan.
He said specifically that “on account of poor visibility, some foreign airlines are presently diverting their international flights into Accra (Ghana) and N’djamena (Chad) and some other neighbouring countries with its attendant negative consequences.”
