Engine Noise
21st Feb 2006, 13:33
http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/business/article02
UNITED STATES aircraft manufacturing giant - Boeing, may have reached an agreement with Nigeria's domestic airline operators for fleet modernisation. Boeing controls 80 per cent of the nation's aircraft market.
The development was sequel to clamour by air travellers and some other stakeholders for newer aircraft for domestic operations, after a spate of mishaps experienced in the country recently.
Indeed, the Presidential Task Force had planned to slam age limit of 30 years for aircraft operating in the country's airspace.
The fleet modernisation agreement was reached at a meeting between the operators and officials of the aircraft manufacturer at the weekend in Lagos.
Briefing newsmen at the end of the meeting, Dr. Harold Demuren, director-general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), said that the assistance was in line with the Cape Town Convention.
The convention is to secure financing and provide asset-based security transactions for aircraft acquisition and other sectors like railway rolling stock and space assets.
Demuren also disclosed that Boeing was also to build maintenance hangers where its aircraft types would be maintained in Nigeria.
The convention plans to reduce risk in trans-border transactions involving high value mobile equipment and thus encourage financiers to invest more in such equipment and by so doing reducing the cost of financing.
The Cape Town instrument was opened for signature on November 16, 2001, following the successful completion of the diplomatic conference held in Cape Town under the auspices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). Nigeria signed the instrument on that day.
Demuren, on Friday, said that certification of airlines in the country was also discussed extensively, stressing that safety of airlines would help to repose confidence in passengers in the sector.
He reiterated that the era of airlines cutting corners was over, assuring that the management of the NCAA would sustain the tempo in regulating the industry.
The NCAA, shortly after the Bellview and Sosoliso crashes late last year, was accused of colluding with airline operators to cut corners.
President Olusegun Obasanjo, piqued by the seeming rot in the sector, accused the industry of corruption, vowing to replace its personnel with expatriates.
Demuren stressed that "the era of airlines cutting corners is over. We want prosperity to come back to the aviation industry and once this is done, we will be back in business."
On the grounding of Kings Airline for alleged violation of safety regulations, the NCAA boss said that the chief executive of the airline was invited but could not produce either of the airlines' chief engineer or its quality assurance manager, hence the airline has remained grounded.
"It was wrong for an airline to change its management without notifying the regulatory body," Demuren said.
UNITED STATES aircraft manufacturing giant - Boeing, may have reached an agreement with Nigeria's domestic airline operators for fleet modernisation. Boeing controls 80 per cent of the nation's aircraft market.
The development was sequel to clamour by air travellers and some other stakeholders for newer aircraft for domestic operations, after a spate of mishaps experienced in the country recently.
Indeed, the Presidential Task Force had planned to slam age limit of 30 years for aircraft operating in the country's airspace.
The fleet modernisation agreement was reached at a meeting between the operators and officials of the aircraft manufacturer at the weekend in Lagos.
Briefing newsmen at the end of the meeting, Dr. Harold Demuren, director-general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), said that the assistance was in line with the Cape Town Convention.
The convention is to secure financing and provide asset-based security transactions for aircraft acquisition and other sectors like railway rolling stock and space assets.
Demuren also disclosed that Boeing was also to build maintenance hangers where its aircraft types would be maintained in Nigeria.
The convention plans to reduce risk in trans-border transactions involving high value mobile equipment and thus encourage financiers to invest more in such equipment and by so doing reducing the cost of financing.
The Cape Town instrument was opened for signature on November 16, 2001, following the successful completion of the diplomatic conference held in Cape Town under the auspices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). Nigeria signed the instrument on that day.
Demuren, on Friday, said that certification of airlines in the country was also discussed extensively, stressing that safety of airlines would help to repose confidence in passengers in the sector.
He reiterated that the era of airlines cutting corners was over, assuring that the management of the NCAA would sustain the tempo in regulating the industry.
The NCAA, shortly after the Bellview and Sosoliso crashes late last year, was accused of colluding with airline operators to cut corners.
President Olusegun Obasanjo, piqued by the seeming rot in the sector, accused the industry of corruption, vowing to replace its personnel with expatriates.
Demuren stressed that "the era of airlines cutting corners is over. We want prosperity to come back to the aviation industry and once this is done, we will be back in business."
On the grounding of Kings Airline for alleged violation of safety regulations, the NCAA boss said that the chief executive of the airline was invited but could not produce either of the airlines' chief engineer or its quality assurance manager, hence the airline has remained grounded.
"It was wrong for an airline to change its management without notifying the regulatory body," Demuren said.