TIME FOR ‘FLY NIGERIA ACT’
The act is good for the economy
There is a law in most countries whereby anyone travelling at government expense will use their national carrier or its partners. It is a policy adopted to protect local carriers, build strong aviation sector, create jobs, prevent the dominance of foreign airlines on their international routes and boost tax revenues from the sector. While the campaign for such a policy has been on for more than a decade in Nigeria, nothing has been done in that direction. But the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said recently that the federal government is set to introduce the ‘Fly Nigeria Act’ to boost the country’s aviation industry by mandating government officials to prioritise local airlines for official trips.
We endorse the idea which is long overdue and urge Keyamo to understudy the countries which have adopted similar policies and develop our own in tandem with national priorities. The minister should also bring all critical stakeholders onboard on this idea which should help empower airlines in the country, build capacity and reduce capital flight. Meanwhile, for this to be achieved, the National Assembly would have to enact a legislation that all public funds earmarked for air travel, whether by government or their consultants would be on a Nigerian carrier or its partners. Such act, if adopted, will also help to control fares and significantly reduce the dominance of Nigeria’s lucrative international routes by foreign carriers. In addition, it will help Nigerian airlines to build capacity and earn some of their revenues in foreign currency, from which they will order spares, pay for the maintenance of their aircraft and training.
Many countries have used such legislation to protect their own airlines, avert exploitation of their airspace and prevent ripping off passengers through outrageous fares. The United States of America enacted ‘Fly America Act’ in 1974 and it is applicable to all travel funded by US federal government which requires the use of airlines. The individuals that must fly on this arrangement include US federal government employees, their dependents, consultants, contractors, grantees, and others. The US Fly America Act does not allow a passenger to go across the border to use a foreign airline to avoid being subject to the Fly America Act. And if your travel does not comply with the Fly America Act, the government will not reimburse your airline ticket.
The ‘Fly Nigeria Act’ will spur foreign airlines to establish interline, codeshare and other partnerships with Nigerian airlines to enable a traveller fly beyond point to point, leveraging on the airline’s partners to his destination. It will also attract investment into the aviation sector both foreign and local. The Fly Nigeria Act will make a turnaround in the growth of domestic airlines and development of the aviation industry in Nigeria because majority of air travellers in Nigeria are government officials who travel on public expense. So, if all the members of the Senate, House of Representatives, State House of Assembly and other government officials patronise Nigerian airlines in their international travel, it will significantly reduce capital flight.
That Nigeria has no policy or policies that protect her own airlines has been a critical issue for decades. With the zeal we have seen in Keyamo, this may be the best time to enact the ‘Fly Nigeria Act’. We encourage him to work with the National Assembly. Such a legislation will boost the fleet of Nigerian carriers along with its partners since most air travellers in the country do so at government expense. When enacted, passengers flying in and out of the country even with foreign airlines will also benefit because ‘Fly Nigeria Act’ will encourage the kind of partnerships needed to revamp the aviation sector in Nigeria.
